Origins: A Young Remus Lupin Story COMPLETE
by FullMoonDreams
Summary: Remus Lupin is admitted to Hogwart's where he finds friends and enemies as he struggles to keep the secret that he is a werewolf safe. Now HBP & DH compliant. Please read and review.
1. First Impressions: The Hogwart's Express

_Disclaimer: The characters and places in this story are all the property of JK Rowling. I have merely borrowed them and given them my own little twist._

_Rating: PG_

_Note: I use the HP Lexicon as a reference and if the information is not concrete in there I make it up to suit the story. Various secondary characters are placed in years that are most convenient_

_This story and the Snape story are now HBP and DH compliant. The changes include things like Andromeda being placed in the correct house and Professor Mistry becoming Professor Slughorn (as was pointed out to me, he was practically in character anyway so just needed a name change)._

_Some changes are small some are larger, however if you have already read the story so far you will NOT have to re-read it in order to make sense of what is happening. There are a few little things that haven't been altered but they are things that will either_

_- Mean those already following the story will have to re-read_

_- Be impossible to alter because they affect the main plot (yeah I do actually have one – despite appearances to the contrary!)_

_- Probably small enough that they won't be noticed but too difficult to change (e.g. I put free classes (on the mornings following Astronomy classes) into the time tables for the first years which they shouldn't have until the sixth year. Since it took forever to get a working timetable for the two of houses and I have it for reference throughout altering it now would be practically impossible.)_

_This story is designed to run alongside my Origins: A Young Severus Snape Story. They do stand alone but please consider checking out the other one too._

_Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this story and especially to those who take the time to review. It is much appreciated._**  
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**Origins: A Young Remus Lupin Story **

**Part One - First Impressions - The Hogwart's Express**

"Remus, do you have everything?" the harried female voice called upstairs from the front doorway.

"I think so. Do you have my cauldron, mum?" Remus Lupin answered as he appeared at the top of the staircase with an armful of textbooks. His brown hair was already messy after rooting under his bed for his missing transfiguration book. There was dust on the knees of his trousers and a small tear to his robe from where he had caught it in his trunk when he had been trying it on earlier that morning. He knew he did not have to wear the robes on the journey but a small part of him was scared that the Powers that Be would change their minds and say he couldn't attend the school. That he would have to return home. That he would never be able to wear the school robes again.

"It's in the car already. Oh look at the state of you," his mother sighed. "Well come along then, or you'll miss the train."

Remus hurried down the stairs and let her brush some of the dust off of his clothes. He shrugged her off after a moment though. After all the trouble they had gone to, the last thing he wanted to do was miss the train. Rushing out to the car he carefully deposited his books in the back of the car and climbed in after them.

"You all set?" his father asked from the driver's seat. Remus nodded in reply as his mother climbed into the front passenger seat.

At long last he was on his way to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

They arrived at Platform 9¾ at just after quarter to eleven when the platform was teeming with students, parents and a wide variety of pets.

Remus looked around the bustling platform in amazement and searched for someone who looked like they might be a first year student like himself, but he could not tell for sure amongst the crowd. Standing by his parents he felt the first flutter of worry at leaving them behind as he went on this, his first, long trip away from home that was not to another family member.

Isolated from other families in the wizarding world Remus had not known any other children his age and did not recognise anyone on the platform.

"You'll do fine," his mother assured him. "Just remember…"

"I know, don't let anyone find out about me." Remus sighed at the unnecessary reminder.

"It's for your own good."

"But surely people will start to notice I keep disappearing?" Remus questioned.

"Headmaster Dumbledore has it all sorted out. Your father has apparated to Hogsmeade just last week and the house is all built and the tunnel from the school is ready for you."

Remus nodded. It seemed that everyone had his prison all figured out for him.

His resentment only lasted a moment though. He knew it was not his parents' fault that he had been bitten by a werewolf. He knew they had done everything they could be expected, and more besides, to try to find a cure for him. They had petitioned Hogwarts for years for him to be allowed to attend when he reached the admission age. Headmaster Dumbledore was the only reason he was being allowed to attend the school and Remus felt a wave of gratitude for the Professor he had yet to meet. He knew it was only through his efforts and the building of the tunnel and house that he was being allowed within the famous school for young wizards and witches.

Standing to one side he watched as the students all began to file onto the train. Hugging his parents one last time he moved towards the nearest carriage and was one of the last students to board the train.

He stood at the window and waved with the other students as it pulled out of the station and began the long journey that would not end until that evening.

Once the station was out of sight, Remus picked up the handle on his trunk and headed to the nearest compartment and looked inside. The seats were all taken and so he moved onto the next compartment. He searched them all one by one. Occasionally he saw a seat or two empty but the students in those appeared far older than his own eleven years and he was reluctant to force his company onto them.

Finally, when he was starting to wonder if he might have to spend the entire journey in the corridor, he spotted a door opening a couple of compartments ahead of him. He hesitated as he watched the young girl with dark red hair stepped out into the corridor. She was immediately followed by a small dark haired boy, and from Remus could see both of them seemed to be carrying their belongings.

They didn't turn in Remus's direction but instead walked away from him towards the final carriage of the train. The girl's voice drifted back to him just before they moved out of earshot.

"Let's see if there's any room in this one…"

Remus looked towards the compartment they had just stepped out from. He wondered whether they had been thrown out by older students who didn't want the youngsters present, or whether there was some defect with the compartment itself.

He moved cautiously forward until he could see into the compartment. The boys inside didn't seem to be any older than he was and he reached cautiously for the door handle.

"Is this one full?" he asked the black-haired boy sitting in the corner nearest to him as he opened the door. He reasoned that if they didn't want him there then all they had to do was say so.

"Nah, plenty of room," he replied with a grin.

He sat up a little straighter in his seat and pulled his legs back out of the way in order for Remus to navigate his way to one of the spare seats.

"Left it a bit late to find a seat did you?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," Remus replied as he finally sat down. "Too busy waving from the window to think about how crowded it was going to be."

"One advantage of coming to the station on your own is you get a good seat whilst everyone else is leaning out the windows," commented one of the other boys.

"No one brought you?" Remus asked. He had thought the students were all first years like himself but if he was travelling to station on his own then perhaps he'd been wrong.

"Wouldn't want my family too," the boy scowled. "Sirius Black," he said as he stuck out his hand.

"Remus Lupin," he replied as he shuck the hand offered to him. "I'm a first year student," he added.

"Me too," replied Sirius.

"Great," Remus said, although he could not quite hide his surprise. "What house do you want to be in? I've been reading all about them in _Hogwarts: A History_."

"You actually read that?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"Yes," Remus wondered if he had said something wrong. "It has some interesting stuff in it."

"You'll have to tell me all about it some time," said Sirius. "I was saying to James here that all my family have been in Slytherin."

"Oh," said Remus. He didn't know what else to say. He knew all about Slytherin house and it was the only house he was sure he did not want to be sorted into.

"All my family have been in that one, so chances are I will be too," Sirius explained. "Though I'm hoping to break with tradition."

"So families don't always end up in the same house?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Well we'll find out later won't we?"

Remus sat back in his seat, wondering which house he was likely to end up in and for the first time thinking that if he ended up in Slytherin at least it wouldn't be so bad if he had Sirius for company.

Introductions were made, the quietest of the three boys who had already been in the compartment was Peter Pettigrew, and James proudly announced that he was a Potter, and like Sirius was one from one of the oldest wizarding families.

They were a lively if rowdy bunch and Remus soon felt caught up in their excitement; he pushed from his mind any lingering thoughts of why the other two students had vacated the presence of his new friends with expressions of such anger on their faces.

The morning stretched out into the afternoon and the witch with the food trolley stopped by with all sorts of treats for lunch.

After they'd finished eating Sirius began to dig around in his robes and Remus looked on as he wondered what he was searching for.

"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed. "Thought I'd forgotten 'em"

"What?" Remus asked curiously.

"These," Sirius tossed the box into the air and caught them deftly. "You know how to play exploding snap?"

Remus nodded and within minutes the boys were embroiled in their game and laughing like old friends.

They were nearly at the end of the journey when they had an unexpected guest in their carriage. "Well look who's here." Remus turned to the door of the carriage and the owner of the voice.

A student who was clearly older stood there, a prefect's badge on his uniform that showed the Slytherin colours. He was tall with long blonde hair and a thin face. There was an unpleasant and cold look about his eyes and Remus shivered as the boy looked at him.

"Lucius," said Sirius. Remus looked at his new friend. All warmth had gone from his voice at the new arrival. He obviously knew this "Lucius" but was clearly not on good terms with him.

"Sirius," replied Lucius with a smirk.

Remus shifted in his seat as everyone went quiet. It seemed that there was an undercurrent of tension that he knew nothing about.

"I see you have already made a few new friends," said Lucius. Remus shivered again as Lucius turned his attention him before turning to the other boy. Remus looked at Sirius and wondered if he was going to reply or not. For a moment he thought he was actually going to ignore him. He wondered what had happened between his seemingly easy going friend and the older student.

"Aren't you going to introduce us all?" Lucius asked when it was clear that Sirius had no intention of making introductions.

"James Potter," James announced, although Remus was quick to notice that he didn't hold out his hand by way of greeting and his tone was as cold as Sirius's had been a moment before.

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Lucius turned his cold blue eyes in his direction.

"Remus Lupin," he finally offered in what he hoped was a confident voice but suspected fell far short.

"Remus," Lucius nodded in a condescending manner. "A pleasure."

Remus felt a wave of relief that Lucius did not want to shake his hand. He knew that if he had to touch him he would not be able to stop himself from wiping his hand on his robes immediately.

Lucius walked into the compartment and sat down in the corner opposite Peter, the only one not to introduce himself. Remus wondered if Lucius already knew him or whether the small boy was merely beneath his notice. As Lucius settled back to make himself more comfortable Remus silently hoped he would not be staying with them for the whole of the rest of the journey. "So," started Lucius "did you hear that Dumbledore overruled the board of governors again on the school curriculum?"

Remus nodded, he recalled his father mentioning something about the same just a couple of weeks before. Sirius shrugged as though it was no concern to him. From what he'd said so far on their journey it probably wasn't. He and James were confident that they'd be top in all their classes anyway.

"He was always a dreadful choice for headmaster if you ask me," continued Lucius, oblivious to the lack of conversation from the others in the compartment. "My father says that there's no possibility of the dark arts being added to the list of school subjects as long as he's in charge."

"Good job too," muttered James. Remus privately agreed. The dark arts were the one thing his parents had never tried in order to find him a cure. He had heard them talking about it several times, usually after one or another dead end, and they were both in agreement that they would rather have Remus live as a werewolf for the rest of his life than try to find a cure through the dark arts.

Lucius cast a cold look at James before standing up again.

"You should all be changing into your robes now, we'll be arriving soon." The order was delivered with an air of authority. Remus looked out of the window and saw that it was much darker than the last time he had looked and that the older student, who had obviously made the journey to Hogwarts far more frequently than they had, was probably correct.

When he turned back from the window the older boy had gone but the tense atmosphere his presence had created lingered a while longer.


	2. Which House? The Sorting Hat

**Part Two – Which House? – The Sorting Hat**

The moment Remus stepped from the train he heard a loud voice calling out the first year students.

Hurrying along with his new friends, they soon reached the edge of the lake and started to climb into one of the boats.

"We have to go by boat?" Peter questioned with a look of fear on his face.

"Sure," Sirius replied. "We get a great view of the school from the lake."

"But I get sea sick," Peter whined.

"That's okay," laughed James. "We're not going to sea, just across the lake."

The others laughed along with him, Remus included. Remus however was the first to stop laughing when he realised that Peter was genuinely afraid of getting into the boat. Reaching up he helped him get into the boat and assured him that the trip was quite short. They waited a few minutes for everyone to be seated in their boats and once everyone was ready the enchanted crafts left the dock to carry them on the final leg of the journey to Hogwarts.

They easy chatter of the earlier part of their journey resumed as the excitement of their arrival at Hogwarts mounted.

The boats steadily made their way across the late and the enormous castle that was to be their home for the next seven years came into view.

Remus's gasp of wonder was echoed around him as all eyes turned towards the majestic building high above the lake.

Lights twinkled in many of the windows and were reflected in the lake alongside the stars in the clear September sky.

The only one who didn't seem to be enjoying the view was Peter who suddenly lurched to the side of the boat and brought up all the food he had gorged on during the train journey. James and Sirius looked back at him, laughing again as Remus steadied the smaller boy. Although Peter could not see James and Sirius, Remus had a perfect view of them and knew that their latest gales of laughter were at the nauseous Peter and not at their continued joking around. He hoped that Peter didn't realise that.

Eventually they reached the dock and began the walk up to the castle. Hagrid guided them as he pointed out things of interest on the route.

"Now yer all better be staying away from that there tree," he said pointing at a large and unusual tree that stood alone on the grounds. "That there's a Whomping Willow, that is. Very violent if yer get too close, so be sure to keep yer distance."

"So why have it at a school if it's that dangerous?" asked a nervous looking girl with pig-tails.

"That little path there leads down ter me own hut," continued Hagrid as he pointed in a direction away from the tree, without answering the girl.

His omission was not lost on the students and Remus saw that most of them were not looking at the path but were looking at the tree. He, of course, knew what it was there for and tried to ignore the speculations of the other first years as they passed by and into the entrance hall of the castle out of the light rain.

A tall stern witch who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall gave the students a quick run down on the rules before leaving them to prepare for the sorting ceremony.

"Look who's a bit green around the gills," snickered Sirius as he nodded across the hallway. Remus wondered who he was talking about and turned to see the small dark-haired boy who had exited the compartment on the train. He looked very pale, perhaps even more so than Peter.

James looked across the hall to where Sirius was indicating.

"Who is it?" Remus asked, his earlier curiosity about what had happened in the compartment re-awakened once more.

"Probably someone I'll end up stuck with," Sirius muttered in a low tone. "Except unlike me, he actually wants to be in Slytherin."

Remus turned to look back at the small boy again. He wondered what sort of person would want to join the house famous for producing every wizard that had ever gone bad.

"Maybe he doesn't know what that house stands for?" Remus suggested.

"I'll bet he does," James responded in an icy voice that would have rivalled that of Lucius Malfoy with its coldness. "Just look at him!"

Remus didn't turn round although he noticed that Peter had taken James at his word and was staring across the entrance hall with a sneer on his face.

"I bet he'd like the Dark Arts to be taught here," Sirius whispered.

"You don't know that," Remus said. "If he was that bothered about them surely he'd be at Durmstrang?"

"We could always go and ask him," James suggested with a devious grin.

"I'll ask him," interrupted Peter who had now recovered somewhat from the train and boat trips.

"You sure you're brave enough?" Sirius jested.

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor," announced Peter with a determined look on his face. "I'm definitely brave enough."

Remus noticed the smirks that crossed the faces of James and Sirius before they nodded Peter on his way.

"So you want to be in Slytherin right?" he heard Peter ask in a timid voice.

"Yes," he heard the other boy answer before he shot a look over in the direction of where he and the others were standing.

"Interested in the Dark Arts then?" Peter continued after shooting a look back at James and Sirius for support.

"Yeah," the reply echoed unnaturally in the now quiet entrance hall. "I know more curses than half the seventh year already."

Remus heard a couple of gasps from several students standing nearby and he watched as the dark-haired boy glared at Peter as though daring him to challenge his words.

"The dark arts are dying out," continued Peter in a slightly louder voice. "Only losers bother to study them. Isn't that right James?"

"Sure is," James called back. "Right Sirius?"

Sirius nodded and laughed along with James.

Remus turned to James who grinned at Peter as he returned to them.

"Maybe you are brave enough to be in Gryffindor after all!" said James laughing and clapping Peter on the back. "Standing up to the dark arts expert like that." Peter stood flushed and grinning. Remus smiled at Peter. He didn't see that it was necessary to tease the other boy but he was pleased to see James and Sirius laughing along with Peter instead of at him. He pushed from his mind their laughter at Peter's expense in the boat.

Standing to one side of the others Remus was the first to spot the target of their laughter approaching them. "You got a problem with me?" he hissed quietly.

"Leave it Severus." Remus looked up at the sound of the female voice and saw the red-haired girl who'd left the compartment with Severus.

He was the only one who took any notice of her however. Severus continued to glare at James who was also taking no notice of the girl.

"Yeah," replied James, "I have a problem with all dark wizards. What of it? What you going to do? Curse me?"

"I just might," growled Severus, reaching into his robes for his wand.

"Go on then," egged on James, in a louder voice. More and more of the other first years turned in their direction. James looked around, playing to the crowd. They all seemed to be on his side. Remus scowled at James but he didn't seem to notice him. The adoring faces of the crowd were all he seemed to see.

Remus watched as Severus moved his wand higher and pointed it directly at James. He didn't miss the fact that his hand was shaking and Remus realised that not only was Severus angry, he was also nervous. Standing in front of James who was nearly a head taller than the small, scrawny boy he didn't blame him.

"What are you waiting for?" asked James. "Some dark wizard we have here. Can't even manage a single hex. Pathetic!"

Remus frowned as Sirius and Peter laughed out loud. He didn't find the situation funny at all. Looking back to James he saw that his laughter had died too. Instead his gaze held a look of pure venom. Remus recoiled slightly at the thought of that hatred being directed at him.

"What's going on here?" the voice of Professor McGonagall echoed through the entrance hall. "Put that wand away immediately!"

Remus turned to see the stern Professor who stood at the top of stairs looking down at the altercation.

"Were you not listening when I explained the rules of this school? This is the exact sort of behaviour that will result in the loss of points for your houses. Since you aren't even sorted into your houses yet I can't deduct points from you but you will both serve detention for your actions this evening."

Remus looked at James who looked extremely sorry for his behaviour. Maybe he'd just got carried away with high spirits, he thought.

"Now let's all go into the Great Hall and get on with the sorting ceremony," Professor McGonagall continued. "I believe the two of you have held things up for long enough and everyone would like to eat tonight."

Professor McGonagall turned away and swept into the hall leaving the students to follow behind her.

"Later," muttered James to Severus as he turned back to his friends. Okay, Remus reconsidered, maybe he wasn't sorry for his behaviour, just sorry that he had been caught. Not particularly impressed with the behaviour of his new friends he went on through the doorway into the hall. The last thing he heard, with his extra sharp hearing, as he walked through the door was a muttered hex from Severus. Frowning he hurried away from the others and into the hall. He didn't want to be in trouble on his first day and he was worried that the continuation of the argument outside would attract the attention of Professor McGonagall again. With the amount of trouble his parents and Headmaster Dumbledore had gone to just to get him to Hogwarts, the last thing he wanted was to be branded a troublemaker on his first day.

As the sorting hat sang its yearly song Remus wondered what the others would think of his leaving them there, but then considered that he didn't even know if he was going to be in their house anyway. He may not even see them that often. Waiting quietly with the other students Remus breathed a sigh of relief as James, Sirius and Severus came into the hall and took their places to await being sorted.

A few minutes later he watched as Sirius was sorted with delight into Gryffindor. When Remus took his place on the stool the hat quickly decided that it was the house for him too and he took his place across from Sirius at the Gryffindor table.

James Potter and Peter Pettigrew soon joined them.

Remus looked on with interest as Severus Snape took his turn. Again his sharp hearing picked up on the sounds that the others might not have caught. He looked with curiosity at the boy who had asked to be sorted into Slytherin house and wondered again at what sort of a person would actually want to join that house. He watched as the sorting hat made its choice and Severus shuffled over to the Slytherin table.

"No surprise there," James muttered across the table to Sirius who nodded in agreement.

Remus continued to look across the room to where Severus was sitting. He didn't like to make a judgement on another student so soon. He knew that things were not always as they appeared. But he could not help but wonder why Severus wanted to be in the house that most people despised. He reluctantly thought that perhaps James and Sirius had been right about him all along. After all, they were the students whose traits had been like his own. They were the ones who had been sorted into Gryffindor like him. Perhaps it would be best to leave Severus to his own house and his own friends? But listening to Sirius and James as they continued to snicker and laugh at the other boy he realised it would not be that easy.


	3. Plans and Plots

**Part Three – Plans and Plots**

Remus soon forgot about Severus Snape as he joined the rest of the Gryffindor students in laughing, chatting and eating the delicious feast that had appeared for them at the end of the sorting ceremony.

Remus soon realised that James and Sirius were two of the liveliest and friendliest boys he had ever met. Okay, he reasoned, he had not met that many with his parents keeping him at home for a lot of the time, but even so, the two new students were soon the centre of attention at the table as they regaled all the first years, most of the second years and even some of the older students with stories about the various pranks they had each got up to before attending Hogwarts.

If Remus had not known that they had only met that morning on the train he would have believed they had known each other for years.

Remus laughed along with them as James told a particularly amusing story of how he had tried to cast a spell on his father's owl to get it to talk but instead had turned it green.

"So what pranks do you have planned for here?" Sirius asked with a grin that suggested he had plenty if James was out of ideas.

"Well we could turn the school owls different colours," James suggested. "Since I know how to do that spell."

"Been done before," interrupted one of the third year students from further up the table. "It was during my first year, one of the fourth years turned them into the various school colours."

"Better think of something else then, James." Sirius smirked at him as he finished the last of his desert. James remained quiet with a look of concentration on his face as the tables cleared and Professor Dumbledore stood up to make his speeches.

Once the school had been appraised of the rules everyone stood up to leave and Remus followed the prefects with the rest of the first years. He was just going through the door when he heard his name being called.

"Remus Lupin, if you could come with me please."

Turning to see who it was that was calling for him over the noisy students he saw Professor McGonagall walking quickly in his direction. She passed by him at a quick pace and he turned to follow after her. He saw James and the others glance at him in curiosity and felt his face redden in embarrassment at being singled out.

"This won't take long," she said as soon as they were out of earshot of the other students.

"What won't?" Remus asked.

"Madam Pomfrey needs to ask you a few questions and make sure things are clear before the full moon."

"Oh," Remus said, his elation at being accepted so easily by the other students rather deflated by the reminder of the fact that he was still different.

"Nothing to worry about," Professor McGonagall assured him with a rare smile as she pushed open the door to the infirmary.

"Poppy?" she called out to the empty room.

"Through here," a female voice called from a door at the far end of the room. The owner of the voice soon appeared as Professor McGonagall lead Remus across the room.

"This is Remus Lupin," announced Professor McGonagall. "You mentioned you needed to sort out the final arrangements for him."

"That's right, that's right," Madam Pomfrey said as she gave Remus an appraising look as he squirmed at her attention. Scowling a little he wondered if she was trying to find a visible trace of what he was.

"Well, I'll just leave you to sort out the plans."

"Thank you Minerva," Madam Pomfrey nodded as Professor McGonagall swept towards the door. "I'll escort Remus to Gryffindor Tower in a short while."

"So Remus," she asked once Professor McGonagall had departed, "your parents did explain to you the arrangements, didn't they?"

Remus nodded. "I have to go down a tunnel to a boarded up house that has been fixed up for me to hide in once a month."

"That's right. Do you know where the tunnel is?"

"Under the Whomping Willow."

"Good. I see your parents have explained things to you. You know of course your father came here to check everything was okay."

Remus nodded again.

"Now one thing we haven't sorted out exactly is how to explain your absences to the other students. Telling them the truth would be out of the question."

Remus nodded reluctantly in response.

"You do understand why you can't tell them?" Madam Pomfrey asked, realising that Remus did not appear happy at the fact he had to keep everything secret.

Remus nodded again. "Because if they…they won't want me here if they know and their parents will take them out of the school if they find out about me."

"I know it's difficult," Madam Pomfrey sympathised as she lead Remus into her office and directed him to one of the seats.

"I don't like lying," Remus admitted as he sat down.

"But you know why it's necessary?" Madam Pomfrey questioned.

"Yes."

"Hmm. Well I know it's not a good thing to encourage children to lie, but if you wish to remain at Hogwarts I'm afraid you'll have to."

"I want to stay at Hogwarts," Remus mumbled.

"Of course you do," Madam Pomfrey beamed. "Finest wizarding school in the world. But like I said if you want to stay here you can't let any of the students find out about your condition."

"Aren't they going to notice that I disappear every month?" Remus asked the question that had puzzled him since he had found out what was planned for him.

"Well Professor Dumbledore has suggested that you tell the other students that you are going home for a family problem or special occasion, other times if it is not crowded in the infirmary you can say that you are in here. Of course if there are a lot of students in here then you will not be able to use that excuse. We will try to sort out each excuse a few days before each full moon. Okay?"

"Yes."

"I think though that a family emergency would be best," Madam Pomfrey said after a moment's thought. "A bit risky to say you are in the infirmary at the start of the school year, it's always crowded the first month of any year with various mishaps in pretty much every class. Students trying new spells and all the hazards that go with it. We'll sort out the details a few days before the full moon."

"Do I come to find you?" Remus asked as he wondered how he would manage to make his excuses each month to disappear.

"No, I think it would be best if Professor McGonagall were to bring you to me each month. I'll take you to the house each month, except when there is too much work for me here and then Professor McGonagall will take you. I think she will be taking you the first time as, like I mentioned, it is always busy in here for the first month and I might find it difficult to get to you."

"Is that everything?" Remus asked with a glance towards the door. He wanted to get back to the rest of the students and enjoy the rest of the evening.

"Just a couple of general questions, but I guess I can ask them on the way." Madam Pomfrey stood up and led Remus out of the office and after securing the same she guided him through the school to the Gryffindor Tower.

On reaching the Tower Madam Pomfrey gave the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady and the door swung open so that Remus could enter. Turning back to thank Madam Pomfrey he saw her sympathetic glance before he climbed through the door.

The door closed behind him and he stood for a moment looking about the room.

"Hey Remus, where've you been?"

Turning he saw James waving at him from across the room where he sat with Sirius and Peter. Smiling he headed in their direction.

"You've got to see this," Peter squealed in excitement as soon as Remus approached the group. Remus breathed a sigh of relief as he realised that the others were far too excited to question where he had been.

"What is it?" Remus asked as he looked at James as he proudly pointed to one of the school brooms.

"Watch," Sirius said with a grin. "This is going to be our first service as the greatest pranksters this school has ever known."

A few minutes later Remus had to admit that whatever James had done to the broom was impressive. At his word the broom had begun to jerk out of control and it took both Sirius and Peter together to bring the thing under control.

"But what are you going to do with it?" Remus asked. "Not one of you can control it by yourself so you can hardly use it in class. Or are you going to practice with it and really impress the Quidditch team later on?"

"Nothing that boring," Sirius laughed. "We have a better idea, don't we James?"

"Oh yes," James agreed as he burst out laughing.

"But what?" asked Remus, a suspicion forming in his mind. "You aren't going to give that broom to another student are you?"

"Might be," said Sirius with an innocent expression on his face. Remus considered that it would have worked better if not for the grin trying to break through.

"Don't you think that's a bit dangerous," Remus asked, concern in his voice. The broom did seem very hard to control.

"Only a little," James argued. "Madam Hooch always carefully supervises the flying lessons so nothing really bad can happen to one of the students."

"But still…" Remus was not sure that he wanted anything to do with what they had planned.

"Don't worry so much," James said. "Maybe we won't do anything with it after all."

"Aww," Peter whined in disappointment.

"Or maybe we will," Sirius snickered.

Remus looked at the three friends and knew instinctively that they were going to make sure that someone used the broom before too long. He even had a suspicion who it was they had in mind to test their device.

Standing up Remus made the excuse that he still had to unpack his trunk and left the trio to their plans. He didn't want to get involved with their plots for the broom but nor did he want to get into an argument with them. Holding his tongue he went upstairs to the boys dormitory whilst the roars of laughter from the others resounded through the common room.


	4. Hostilities Begin

**Part Four – Hostilities Begin**

Remus stood outside with the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years as Madam Hooch arrived to begin the class.

"Everyone stand by your brooms," she called out loudly.

Remus moved from where he had been talking with a Gryffindor girl called Lily and took his place by James. A snicker from that direction drew his attention and he turned to his friend who, together with Sirius and Peter, was staring avidly across at Severus Snape.

_Had they really done it?_ He wondered. He hadn't seen them do anything but he hadn't really been taking any notice.

"Well, what are you waiting for Mr Snape?" Madam Hooch shouted, and Remus quickly made to lift his own broom into the air before she spotted that he too had not started.

Turning to mount his broom a burst of laughter drew his attention to a dark haired girl who was staring at Severus as he tried with little success to climb aboard his broom which was completely out of control. The boy eventually managed to mount the broom but it was clear that that was just the start of his problems. The broom was becoming more and more out of control the longer Severus maintained his white-knuckled grip on it.

Ignoring James and Sirius, Remus edged away from them and made his way towards Madam Hooch to bring Severus's difficulties to her attention. He wondered whether he should tell her the full story but decided against it, he didn't want to get a reputation as someone who told tales.

Remus had not yet reached the teacher when she deftly hopped on her own broom and sped towards Severus.

Remus watched as she called out "Give me your hand."

He watched as Severus either didn't hear or couldn't bring himself to reach across the open space to where Madam Hooch reached for his hand.

The broom seemed to be getting more and more violent and Remus watched as a final violent jerk sent Severus falling to the ground. Madam Hooch tried to reach for him but he had fallen in the opposite direction to where she was hovering and there was no possibility of her catching him.

Remus walked back to where James and Sirius stood looking at what was happening. For a moment he thought he caught a glimpse of concern on their faces, but at seeing that Severus was not that seriously injured the expressions disappeared.

Severus meanwhile looked even more pale than usual as he sat on the ground and Remus watched in sympathy as he tried to stand on an obviously painful ankle. He had suffered from a broken wrist himself a few years before and he knew how painful it could be. He thought he could see tears on the other boy's face and he didn't blame him one bit.

The class was over as Madam Hooch took Severus to the hospital wing. Picking up his own broom he saw Severus look back just before he disappeared out of sight. Remus could tell that even if he didn't know exactly what had happened he had a fair idea. The look of pure fury he shot towards James told Remus that he knew where to place the blame.

After they had put away their brooms Remus wondered whether to speak with James and Sirius about what he thought of their prank. He was still wondering what to do when they were walking to their next class and he heard a voice calling for Sirius.

"Hey, Sirius!"

Remus turned to see an older student walking towards them. Tall with long dark hair she was obviously a relative. At her arrival all joy at the events in the class vanished from Sirius's face.

"Bellatrix," he greeted her coldly.

"Glad I caught you today," she continued with a smile, as though he had appeared glad to see her.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked as he carried on walking to his class.

"We need to talk about how things are different since you got put in Gryffindor" Bellatrix sneered a little as though that house were the one that no one wanted to be in, instead of Slytherin, her own house Remus noted from her uniform.

"I told you in the summer, I don't want anything to do with Malfoy and his plans." Sirius sighed and as she continued to walk alongside them he shot her a glare.

"You just need a little time to decide," Bellatrix suggested in a hopeful tone.

"I've already decided," Sirius said casually.

"Look Sirius," Bellatrix said quietly. "You're my cousin, a Black, Lucius was counting on you to be in Slytherin. He really needed your help this year. He was upset this morning that you hadn't replied to his note."

"I threw it away." Sirius muttered as he quickened his pace.

"He knows that, and blamed me for it too," Bellatrix said in indignation. "I told him it wasn't my fault but he won't listen. He really needs your support."

"He'll have to find someone else won't he?" Sirius suggested casually.

"Now you listen to me…" Bellatrix hissed.

"He said no," interrupted James in a firm tone.

"You mind your own business!" Bellatrix turned to glare at him.

"When you're pushing around my mate, it is my business," James said.

Bellatrix looked at James for a moment before glancing towards Remus. He nodded in agreement with James. Bellatrix, appearing to realise that she was outnumbered and Sirius was not going to budge, turned to leave them alone. At the corner of the corridor she turned to offer a parting shot. "Poor choice of friends Sirius."

"Don't worry mate," James said as soon as Bellatrix was out of sight. "If we stick together the Slytherin scum can't touch us."

Sirius nodded although Remus noticed he was shaking a little. He wondered what had happened between him and his cousin in the past to cause such a reaction. With family like her in Slytherin it was little wonder he didn't think much of anyone who was sorted into that house.

He just wished that they didn't tar everyone with the same brush. He silently compared Bellatrix to Severus and although they were both in Slytherin he had a feeling they were not the same type of people. He wondered if he could somehow convince James and Sirius that Severus was not as bad as they thought. His mind made up he resolved to keep an eye out for Severus the next time he saw him and try to make friends. Perhaps he could somehow help to smooth things over between them.

Remus grew more concerned for Severus as the afternoon wore on and he didn't return for the Herbology class that they shared. He wondered whether he should go to the hospital wing and see if he was still there but they had all been given homework in their first Charms class and he decided to stop by the library first.

He had just got the book that he needed when he saw that Severus was in the library too. He looked like he had recovered from his fall and Remus decided to approach him and make a fresh start.

"Are you alright?" asked Remus as he approached Severus.

"Obviously," Severus hissed in a tone that surprised Remus. _Surely he didn't think that _he_ had had something to do with the broomstick?_ Looking around to check there was no teacher or prefect in sight he decided that it was safe to set the record straight.

"I didn't have anything to do with the broom," he whispered.

"Of course not," Severus replied and this time Remus could not mistake the hostility and sarcasm that filled his voice. He was about to try again to convince him that he had not done anything to the broom when a familiar voice carried out across the room.

"Hey Remus!" Remus turned to see Sirius and James coming through the library doors. Madam Pince shushed them but didn't move from her desk.

Here was his chance, Remus decided. His opportunity to smooth things over and make life a lot less difficult for everyone.

"Hey," he called over in a slightly forced cheerful tone. "Just checking Severus was okay after that nasty _accident_ this morning." He wondered if his not very subtle hint worked for about a second, then James' reply made it obvious that it hadn't.

"Severus?" laughed James. "Didn't we tell you we'd already re-named him _Snivellus_?" 

Remus looked at Severus whose face blanched at James's cruel taunt.

"Yeah," agreed Peter "collapsing in tears after falling off his broom. _Snivellus_ suits him much better."

Remus could not stop the small smile that spread upon his face. The laughter of the other three was contagious. It wasn't that he thought that the name was funny, he didn't he assured himself. It was just that he had never been a part of a crowd of laughing friends before. But another glance at Severus stopped his smile from becoming full blown laughter and he started to open his mouth to say something to the others, to ask them to ease up a little. But before he spoke he realised that perhaps it was not the best time so he bit his lip to stop himself from making things even worse.

A second later he realised that things could not get much worse at all and Severus fled from the library.

"Was he actually crying again?" laughed Sirius as Madam Pince finally ran out of patience and herded them out of the door.

"I think he was," Remus said in a quiet voice. "I think you really upset him."

"He'll get over it," said James casually. "He has to toughen up if he's going to stay at Hogwarts. No one in Slytherin bursts into tears at a bit of friendly name calling."

"I don't think he thought it was very friendly," Remus commented as he recalled Severus's look of horror.

"'Course it was friendly. Just a little nickname," Sirius laughed again. "Suits him fine if you ask me."

"Maybe we should just leave him alone now though," Remus asked in a hopeful tone.

"Sure," said James. "He knows not to mess with the Gryffindors now, we'll leave it at that."

"So no more pranks?" Remus asked in relief.

"Oh no, we've lots more planned." Sirius shook his head. "We'll just leave _Snivellus_ out of them."

Remus grinned in anticipation as James and Sirius discussed their ideas for jokes and pranks, none of which seemed as dangerous as the broom and all of which were genuinely amusing. Heading back to the common room he finally felt a real part of the group of friends and was grateful that the problems between Severus and his Gryffindor class mates were over.


	5. Target Filch

**Part Five – Target Filch**

For the next few days Remus was pleased to see that James and Sirius stuck to their words and didn't direct any more of their pranks at Severus. They still called him _Snivellus_, both in private and to his face, but that was the extent of their teasing. Remus was the only one of the group who still called him Severus and despite his constantly repeating the name after they called him by the nickname, they didn't stop using it. Eventually Remus realised that they were actually starting to call him the cruel name naturally and when he realised he could not break them from the habit he stopped trying.

For the next week Remus watched his new friends become minor celebrities amongst the Gryffindor students. The story of the bucking broom spread like wildfire through the students and everyone seemed impressed with the two first years for managing to pull off the trick. Although one or two of the prefects were rather critical of their actions no one seemed to be bothered once they found out that it was a member of Slytherin who had been the victim of the prank.

However once their star status had started to wear off James and Sirius soon put their heads together to plot their next stunt.

"Will it work?" asked Sirius with a doubtful expression on his face.

Remus looked up from his transfiguration essay to where Sirius, James and Peter were sat at the other end of the table with their heads close together. Something about the tone Sirius used made Remus frown slightly as he realised that they were not discussing their homework.

"'Course it will," James replied with a wide grin.

"Hey Remus," Sirius called out with a wave when he saw him looking in his direction. Standing up from the table he walked to the other end where James was poking at something in a bowl on the table with his wand. Looking curiously at it, Remus pulled up a chair and waited for them to tell him what it was they were plotting.

"What do you think?" Sirius asked, nodding to the strange substance that was now swirling around at a whispered command from James.

"What is it?" asked Remus leaning over. It looked like a potion but it was nothing he recognised.

"It's something we've been working on for a bit of entertainment," James explained with a smirk. Peter giggled and nodded in agreement.

"This isn't something you are going to use on Severus is it?" Remus asked with a frown.

"Nope," replied James. "Guess again?"

"Professor McGonagall?" Remus guessed.

"Heck, no!" Sirius laughed. "We don't intend to get expelled just yet."

"Speak for yourself, mate," teased James. "I don't intend getting expelled at all."

"So who is it for?" asked Remus, eager for them to get on with telling him about their plans so that he could get back to finishing his homework. He looked at the desk and saw to his surprise that both Sirius and James had not only completed their transfiguration homework already, they had also gathered the items they had been asked to collect for herbology, which he had planned to do before classes began in the morning. He wondered how they had found the time to do all of that and still plot their prank. It made him feel slightly better to see that Peter had not even started his transfiguration essay, but only slightly.

"Filch," said James with a smug grin. "Can you guess what it is?"

"He'll never guess," Peter laughed as he bobbed up and down on his chair.

"Not a clue," Remus admitted with a grin. Like every other student in the school he had no liking for the caretaker and had twice been caught by him in the corridors during classes when he had found himself lost and late as he tried to find his way.

"This is a little potion that I thought of over the holidays," explained Sirius. "I was going to use it on Bellatrix or Narcissa but since I'm not in Slytherin it will be too difficult to do it."

"But easy to use whatever it is on Filch?" Remus asked dubiously.

"Very easy," nodded James. "We don't need a password for Filch's office like we would for the Slytherin common room."

"And he isn't often in there so chances are we won't get caught." Sirius rubbed his hands together and leaned over the bowl again.

"Especially if we set up a diversion," suggested James. "We were thinking of daring Peter to go too near the Whomping Willow or something."

"No," Remus gasped in shock as Peter turned pale. He had been told how dangerous the tree was and was not looking forward to going near it himself. He glanced out of the window and saw the bright moon that was silently counting down the days until he would be going nearer to the violent tree than Peter ever would.

"Okay, maybe not," said James. "That would look rather obvious anyway."

"I think we should go with the dungbombs near the Ravenclaw Prefects' bathroom," said Sirius. "That corridor is nicely placed. Anyone caught there can be going somewhere else and no one can say otherwise."

"Okay," James agreed.

"But what does the potion do?" Remus asked in a slightly impatient tone. Maybe they had finished their work but he had plenty still to do.

"That's the best part," James leaned forward and with a glance around the room he made sure that no one was listening. "It's a shrinking potion that will make him even smaller than that awful cat of his."

"Should last about half an hour," Sirius added. "Enough time to really annoy him but not enough time for him to get any help."

"He won't ask for help," James sounded very sure of himself.

"How do you know?" asked Sirius as he leaned back on his chair.

"Haven't you noticed?" James whispered. "Filch never does any magic."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, not a single spell. I've been asking around and no one has ever seen him do so much as a simple charm."

"He's a squib?" asked Peter.

"We'll find out for sure when he tries this," James grinned. "If he can do magic it is really easy to undo the effects of the potion. If not…"

Remus couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Filch running around his office with the formidable Mrs Norris chasing after him.

"But how are you going to get Filch to drink the potion?" Remus asked.

"Thought of that," Sirius chuckled. "He always has a dish of sweets from Honeydukes on his desk. So we dip them in the potion and voila."

"Will that be enough?" asked Peter as he leaned over the bowl yet again.

"Should be," answered James, with a look of surprise at the source of the reasonably intelligent question.

"You're sure you won't get into trouble?" Remus asked, biting his lip.

"_We_ won't," corrected James. "You're one of us, mate."

Remus flushed with pleasure at being accepted into the group.

"So how are you going to tell how long it lasted for?" Remus asked.

"With this," James said as discreetly opened one side of the large parcel he had received that morning. "Family heirloom, this is."

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" Peter asked.

"Yes," hissed James with a glare at Peter. "But keep it quiet will you. Don't want everyone to know I have it."

"So you're going to wait in Filch's office for him to try the sweets?" Remus asked.

"Well we have to get proof," Sirius smirked as he put a camera on the table. "Thought we'd take a picture of him and then everyone in Gryffindor can enjoy watching him run around his office as he's chased by his own cat."

James and Peter roared with laughter and Remus had to laugh along with them.

"And if something goes wrong you'll be able to sort it out," he said once he had finally finished laughing.

"Er, yeah, that too," said James in a tone that made it clear that he had not thought about that at all.

Remus shook his head as he walked back towards his own seat and carried on with his homework. Leaving James and Sirius to sort out the finer details of their plan he felt a moment of unease at what they were intending to do but reasoned that it was far less dangerous than the spell on the broom and Filch was truly unpleasant.

* * *

Two days later James announced that night they were putting their plan into operation. Peter would set off the dungbombs, Remus was given the task of making sure that Filch was told about them and James and Sirius would be under James invisibility cloak, setting up the potion and lying in wait with the camera

* * *

That evening Remus stood waiting down the corridor from where he had seen Peter disappear a few minutes before. He was about to give up and go looking for him when the small boy popped his head back around the corner and gave a two thumbs up sign. Remus nodded and went downstairs to seek out Filch, who had been last seen near to the Hufflepuff common room.

Tracking him down with relative ease Remus led the caretaker as a fairly slow pace through the corridors.

"Hurry up boy," Filch grumbled. "The culprit will be gone by the time we get there."

"Sorry. Still trying to find my way around here," answered Remus, _that and making sure that the other two culprits have plenty of time to carry out their plan_.

It was obvious they had taken the right direction when they turned the final corner and the awful smell of the dungbombs drifted down the corridor towards them. One of the prefects stuck their head out of the bathroom a little way down the corridor. Remus grinned as he watched her turn a pale shade of green and quickly duck back inside, shutting the door with a slam.

"Did you see anyone hanging around here boy?" Filch asked. Remus shook his head. "Pity," Filch muttered. "A great pity."

Remus put his hand over his mouth and nose as the smell of the dungbombs grew stronger. He was feeling rather ill from them and when he thought he could stand it no more he helpfully pointed out to Filch where the dungbombs were hidden, whilst silently hoping that James and Sirius had had enough time to execute their plan.

Once the items were removed and the corridor getting back to its normal state, Remus headed back to Gryffindor Tower. He and Peter were not going to join James and Sirius. They had all agreed that it was best neither of them risk being seen in the vicinity of Filch's office in case he figured things out. Remus had been happy to agree to this although Peter had complained and voiced his disappointment loudly.

Waiting back at the tower it was half an hour before James and Sirius finally re-appeared.

One look at their faces and it was obvious their plan had been successful. Grinning widely James threw himself onto the sofa. "You should have seen him! Brilliant!"

"Running around like a little mouse as Mrs Norris chased him all around the furniture." Sirius laughed.

"More like a rat than a mouse," James howled. "He had no idea at all and his face was such a sight as he suddenly began to shrink to six inches tall."

"Did you get photos?" asked Peter.

"Yep," Sirius said as he produced the camera.

"Let's see then," Peter asked as he reached for the camera.

"We need to get them developed first," James explained with a roll of his eyes towards Sirius and Remus.

"How long will that take?" Peter whined.

"A couple of weeks," Sirius said. "Gonna have to send them out so no one else sees us developing them."

"That long?" Peter's face fell. He had not enjoyed his part of the plan and was clearly disappointed to have to wait so long to see the final result.

"I can get them done quicker," Remus suggested. "I brought a catalogue from home that has order forms for a group of stores in Diagon Alley. Thought it might be handy for buying presents and stuff since we can't go into Hogsmeade. One of them is a photo developer and there is a coupon to get them sent back by return owl for the first order for new customers."

"Great," said James. "Go fetch it and we can send them off now."

"They do offer the extra potion to make the subject move, don't they?" Sirius called.

"At no extra charge," Remus confirmed as he ran up the stairs to the dormitory.

Ten minutes later James had sent his tawny owl on its way and all they had to do was wait.

"What are you going to do with the pictures?" Peter asked.

"Thought we would pin them up in here," Sirius said.

"We could send one to Filch too," James laughed.

At the idea of Filch getting his hands on one of the photos everyone roared with laughter again. Remus laughed loudly with the others. The only thing that marred the moment for him was the sight of the moon as they had sent James's owl on its way. It had been a sharp reminder that on the morning the photos would be delivered he would have to get ready to lie to his new friends. And that night he would be in the secure house in Hogsmeade and not laughing in the common room with the rest of the Gryffindors.


	6. Full Moon Rising

**Part Six – Full Moon Rising **

The owl swooped into the Great Hall with a number of others and Remus stood up to catch the thick package as it dropped to the table. Giving the bird the rest of his breakfast he opened the parcel slightly to check that it was the photographs. Sure enough he could see that it was. Peter squealed next to him and reached to grab them from Remus's hand.

"Let's see, let's see," he pleaded as Remus batted his sticky hand away from his face.

"Later," said James as he glanced around to check that Peter's excitement had not attracted the attention of the prefects or teachers.

There had been an announcement the previous morning from Professor Dumbledore. He had not said exactly what it was that Mr Filch had suffered, only that he had been the victim of some sort of spell. Only the four cohorts knew what it was that had happened and they were determined to keep their involvement a secret.

James and Sirius had argued considerably about what to do with the photos. Sirius had been eager to put them up throughout the school and let everyone enjoy them. James had been slightly more cautious and thought they should only put them up in Gryffindor Tower. Sirius had argued that if they were found in the tower then it would immediately point the finger at their house. If they were all around the school then everyone was a suspect. They still hadn't reached a decision that morning and Remus slipped the photos in between his books until they made their choice.

After checking that no one was taking notice of them they rose from the table and headed out of the Great Hall and walked towards Gryffindor Tower.

They stepped into the common room after giving the Fat Lady the password and checked that no one was around.

"Can we see now?" Peter whined as Remus pulled the photos out and spread them over the table.

Sirius had a talent with the camera and he had taken some great shots of the miniature Filch as he ran about the office.

"How did you manage to photograph him from underneath the cloak?" Remus asked.

"Shoved my arm out from under it whenever Filch was looking the other way," Sirius explained with a laugh.

"You'll notice all the shots of his back," James said as he pointed to several examples.

"This one I'm keeping" Sirius declared as he picked up a moving picture of Mrs Norris cornering Filch around the side of the filing cabinet.

"So have you decided what to do with them yet?" Remus asked.

"Yes," James nodded. "We've decided to let everyone in on the joke."

"I thought you didn't want to risk getting caught putting photos all over the school?"

"Well Sirius figured out a way around that," James explained.

"Should have thought of it sooner," Sirius sighed. "I'm going to let my cousin in on the trick. She can put one up in the Slytherin quarters and her boyfriend is in Ravenclaw so she'll get him to put one up there."

"Not Bellatrix?" Remus asked. From what he'd seen of her so far he doubted very much she'd co-operate with anything Sirius suggested.

"Crikey no!" Sirius guffawed with laughter. "I meant Andromeda. She's one of Bellatrix's sisters."

"Andromeda?" Remus asked with a note of worry in his voice. He'd not met Andromeda but from what he'd seen of Bellatrix he was not hopeful that she'd be the best choice in this scheme. "Are you sure she won't just get us into trouble?"

"Nah," Sirius laughed. "She's not like her sisters, she likes a good laugh. She won't let the cat out the bag."

"What about Hufflepuff?"

"James knows a couple of third year Hufflepuffs who he's going to enlist to spread the pictures around."

"Yeah," said James. "So lets decide which ones we stick up in here and which ones we pass around to the other houses."

"Just hurry it up before everyone else comes back from breakfast," Sirius said.

Fifteen minutes later James and Sirius had gone to deliver the photos to their conspirators and Remus and Peter used spellotape to display the best ones in the Gryffindor common room.

"Come on then Peter," Remus said as he made to leave the common room. Everyone had decided that it would be best to come back later on in the morning and 'find' the pictures like everyone else. It was agreed that it would look rather obvious if they were the first ones in the room.

Heading to the library Remus suddenly heard his name being called from down the staircase. Turning he saw Madam Pomfrey waving to him from the foot of the stairs.

"You go ahead," Remus told Peter. "I'll catch up in a minute."

"What does she want?" Peter asked curiously.

"Probably got the potion for this cough I have," Remus answered.

"You've got a cough?" Peter asked.

"I mentioned it yesterday remember," Remus said. "I've been coughing all week."

"You have?"

"Yes. You go on and I'll be there in a bit." Remus turned to run down the stairs leaving a confused Peter to continue to the library on his own. He wondered what Madam Pomfrey wanted. He knew that it was going to be Professor McGonagall taking him to the house that night. It had already been arranged for her to come into the common room late in the afternoon with news of the unexpected family emergency. He didn't know what it was that Madam Pomfrey wanted him for. The imaginary cough was the only thing that had come to mind. He was silently grateful that it was Peter he had been with. He knew instinctively that neither James nor Sirius would have believed the weak lie.

"Just checking you're okay?" Madam Pomfrey whispered when Remus reached her. "You haven't forgotten about tonight?"

"No," Remus shook his head. He had been feeling slightly nauseous all week. Not that it was unusual for him to feel slightly ill during the week of the full moon. But this time he felt even more as for the first time he would not only have to suffer through the transformation, he would be doing so miles away from his family, and he would have to lie to his friends about where he was going.

"Just make sure you're in the common room late this afternoon," Madam Pomfrey instructed as she sent Remus back on his way to the library.

Remus and Peter met James and Sirius in the library where they attempted to do their history of magic assignments. Unfortunately the anticipation of knowing that others had no doubt found the photos was too much and consequently little work was being done.

Andromeda joined them in the library after displaying her own house's photos and she was clearly impressed with her young cousin's prank.

"Such a great joke," she laughed quietly with a glance at Madam Pince.

"Pity it only lasts a short while," James said.

"So what are you going to do next?" Andromeda asked as she leaned forward in her chair to swipe Sirius's photo from between the pages of his text book. Looking at it she laughed again, this time loud enough to elicit a shush from Madam Pince.

"Not sure," Sirius admitted as he scratched his head with his quill.

"Gonna be difficult to top this one," Andromeda said as she stood up to leave.

"We'll manage it." James sat back with an air of confidence.

"Can we go back to the common room yet?" Peter asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"Might as well," said James.

"Yeah, come on," agreed Sirius. "I don't think Peter can bear the suspense any more."

Gathering their books they returned to the common room to find a crowd of people gathered around the photos, laughing and chortling in delight.

"So _that's_ what Dumbledore was talking about," one of the fifth year girls exclaimed.

"What's going on?" asked Sirius in a loud but casual voice that carried easily across the room.

"Sirius, James, Remus," one of the second year boys called out. "You've got to see these."

Remus watched Sirius and James exchange a quick smirk before they dutifully strolled across the room. Remus and Peter followed close behind and made sure to laugh like they were seeing the photos for the first time. Everyone speculated about who could have taken the photos but no one guessed the real culprits. James and Sirius were careful to put forward their own suggestions for who the person responsible might be.

The day wore and as the excitement about the photos died down Remus started to watch the window more and more frequently. He watched the sun make its way across the sky and it was on it's downward descent when the stern voice of Professor McGonagall drew his attention away from the window.

"I see that Gryffindor Tower has had a delivery from the mystery photographer," she said with a frown towards the wall. "I suspected as much when Professor Flitwick mentioned the photos that had appeared in Ravenclaw Tower this lunchtime. I don't suppose anyone here would like to own up to them?"

The silence was complete as every student in the room turned studiously back to their books or projects.

"I didn't think so," Professor McGonagall sighed and plucked the photos off of the notice board. "Very well. I am sure that the mystery will be uncovered eventually. Remus Lupin, would you come with me please."

Remus jumped guiltily. Despite the fact he had been expecting to her to come to collect him for some time he was still surprised to hear her sudden command.

Leaving his things on the table he stood up and made to follow the head of his house out of the common room.

"I've received an owl from your parents," Professor McGonagall said as they left the room. The door shut behind them and she quickened her pace as they hurried down the deserted stairs. "Sorry I'm a little late," she apologised. "This business with the photographs has taken up a lot of time today. Mr Filch found out about them and was very upset about the whole business. It made me rather late coming to collect you."

"That's okay," Remus said quietly as he hurried after her. His stomach did a quick flip flop as the nerves that had been steadily building up all week made him falter in his step.

"I know this isn't easy Remus, but you'll soon get used to it." Professor McGonagall didn't slow her pace and Remus took a breath and quickened his pace.

"It's not like I have a choice," he mumbled with an uncharacteristic trace of bitterness.

"The house is magically warmed and is large enough for you to move about in for the duration of your change. Madam Pomfrey will come and collect you after the full moon."

"For when I've hurt myself?" Remus asked, though he already knew the answer. The cuts and scrapes from his previous transformations were numerous and there was no doubt in his mind that there would be just as many in this new setting.

"Come along dear," McGonagall encouraged in a sympathetic tone as they walked out of the building and across the grounds to the Whomping Willow.

When they reached the tree Professor McGonagall transfigured herself into the form of a tabby cat and ducking under the branches she pushed the knot that froze the tree in place. Changing back into her human form she waved Remus ahead of her into the tunnel.

"_Lumos,_" Professor McGonagall said and her wand let out a beam of light that lit up the tunnel ahead of them. Encouraging Remus along they were soon in the house itself. The professor gave Remus a quick tour of the building before realising that the sun was about to set completely and that even she would not be safe for very much longer. With a friendly pat on the shoulder she moved back to the entrance of the tunnel and after assuring him that he would be fetched as soon as the full moon was gone she disappeared back into the tunnel, securing the door behind her.

Remus walked over to the window and looked out. In the distance he could see Hogwarts on the hill. He wondered if everyone was still laughing in the common room over the photos of Filch.

He walked restlessly over to the far side of the room. Ignoring the furniture he sank down to the floor. Putting his arms about his knees he leaned against the wall opposite the window and stared out at the night sky.

He had seen more than enough moons rising to know that the time was close. He didn't even really need to see the moon. Somehow the werewolf part of him could sense when it was rising.

The minutes ticked by and an owl hooted outside. Remus started to shake a little as he felt the change come over him. As the pain of the transformation shot through him he screamed. Long and loud Remus's yell began as a human sound that he was only dimly aware that he had made. It ended as the howl of a wolf, a sound Remus never remembered making at all.


	7. Guilt and Lies

**Part Seven – Guilt and Lies**

"Remus?"

He was dimly aware of the voice calling out for him but for a moment he could not recall who it was that was shouting. Then it all came back to him. The Whomping Willow, the tunnel, Professor McGonagall, the house, everything up to the moment he had transformed into a werewolf came back in a rush.

"Remus?" the sound of Madam Pomfrey's voice echoed through the house and Remus struggled to move and to answer her call.

"Through here," he finally called out as he sat up on the floor of the kitchen. The smell of meat was in the air and he realised that whilst he had been in his other form he had found his way to the food that had been set out for him.

"There you are," Madam Pomfrey said as she came through the door. She carried his robe in one hand a case of medicinal potions in the other. "Let's see how you are."

Remus tried to stand up but was still too weak after the painful transformation back to his human body.

"Don't try to move yet," Madam Pomfrey scolded. "Here, drink this." She thrust an opened bottle into his hand. Remus sniffed at it and jerked back from the pervasive odour.

"What is it?" he asked, in the hope that he could say he didn't need it.

"A simple restorative potion," Madam Pomfrey explained as she gently directed him to drink the same.

Remus tried to hold his breath as he drank down the vile concoction. It was not as pleasant in taste as the medicines his mother had frequently made for him. He had asked her once why the taste had changed throughout the years and she had told him that she had worked on improving them whilst he was a werewolf. As a muggle she had no way of making actual potions and his father was sadly a poor potions maker. With his condition a closely kept secret there were few they could ask for help.

The wizards they had consulted had advised as to a few potions that could help a little. But Remus had found that he did not like the tastes of them and much preferred his mother's medicines. They were not as effective but as soon as he was old enough to realise that she desperately wanted to help, he began to cover up the pain that still lingered after taking them. He assured her that her medicines were just as good as the potions his father had acquired.

His mother had believed him and confided that it helped to take her mind off worrying about him to know that she could help in some small way. Being busy was the only way she managed to get through the full moons. Remus spared a thought for his mother, miles away at home. She would have watched the full moon approaching with the same trepidation he did. But just as he was in a new setting for the change so too would things have changed for her. She would have had no need to make the medicines to help him and instead would have been worrying at home with nothing to take her mind off of things.

Remus finished off the potion and Madam Pomfrey started to apply the lotions and remedies she had brought with her to the various bite marks Remus had. He gasped in pain as the lotion stung a particularly nasty bite mark on his right arm.

It took nearly an hour for her to apply all the lotion to all of the various bites and bruises and by the time she was done Remus found that the restorative potion had taken effect and he was able to stand with relative ease.

"Come on then," Madam Pomfrey said as she guided him back towards the tunnel entrance. "Let's get you something to eat before you head to your lessons again."

"Lessons?" Remus asked, still rather groggy and unsure. The passing of time when he was a werewolf was something he had never got used to.

"A late breakfast first, then you can rejoin your classmates for the rest of the day."

Remus nodded as he followed Madam Pomfrey down the tunnel.

Stepping out into the daylight the school looked the same as it had every day since he had been there. The only difference was an air of quiet about the place whilst all the students sat in their classrooms.

Remus followed Madam Pomfrey to the Great Hall where she left him to tuck into the food that was set out for him.

He was just finishing his pumpkin juice when he heard the sound of a footfall behind him. Spinning round he saw Professor Dumbledore standing behind him with a kindly expression on his face.

"I always find the Great Hall has a different atmosphere when it is empty," he began as walked around the end of the table and sat down on the bench opposite Remus.

"Professor McGonagall notified your fellow Gryffindors that you had been called home for a family emergency."

Remus nodded, until this moment he had forgotten that he still had to lie to his friends. Almost as if he had read his mind Professor Dumbledore continued on.

"Potter and Black were very concerned. You do realise that sometimes a little lie is necessary. I know they are your friends but they are very young, and a little bit reckless from what I have seen so far." A small smile crossed Dumbledore's face and Remus briefly wondered if he knew about their trick on Mr Filch. "I know I can trust you to keep your word and not tell even your closest friends about your condition."

Remus nodded in response.

"No matter the temptation?"

Remus nodded. He didn't like lying but even more than that he didn't want his new friends to turn on him.

"Good boy," Dumbledore said as he stood up and walked towards the entrance. "Now I guess you better be heading back to your lessons."

"Yes sir," Remus agreed as he stood up to follow the headmaster into the corridor.

"Sorry but we won't let you take the entire day off from lessons once you are back with us Mr Lupin." Dumbledore winked as he handed Remus his books and directed him into the classroom before turning back towards the direction of his office.

Remus knocked once on the door before heading into the classroom. Taking his seat next to Peter he tried to ignore the questioning glances of James and Sirius at the desk beside him and concentrated on the lesson. But he knew he was only putting the inevitable off and that as soon as the class was dismissed he would be forced to explain his absence from school.

"So is your mother okay?" James asked the second the class finished.

Remus quickly realised that Professor McGonagall must have indicated that the family emergency revolved around his mother and nodded at James. "Just a minor accident with one of my dad's potions that looked worse than it was. My dad's not much of a potions maker."

"So why did you get called home?" Sirius asked.

"Because it looked worse than it was," Remus explained, biting his lip to avoid elaborating. Keep it simple he told himself. Keep to the truth as much as possible. Anyone who asked about his dad's potions abilities would find out that he was truly dreadful at them, and his mother had often been caught up in the disastrous experiments of Mr Patrick Lupin. There were so many instances no one would recall the exact dates and there had been a few scares when the potions had backfired rather spectacularly.

"But she _is_ okay?" James questioned again, concern evident in his voice.

"She's fine now," Remus assured him as a wave of guilt washed over him. "So what did I miss?" he asked to try to change the subject.

"Not much," Sirius answered. "Just boring theory in most classes, real easy stuff too. Thought lessons would be much more difficult than they are."

"Yeah," agreed James. "You'll catch up in no time, mate."

"Great," said Remus. "Any extra work I should know about?"

Sirius grinned, "nope. Lucky devil."

Heading down the corridor he listened to Sirius and James telling him about the success of the photographs of Filch and breathed a sigh of relief that he had safely navigated his way through the questions of his friends.

His moment of relief was short lived though when Peter suddenly piped up with a question he had not thought of an answer for.

"What have you done to your arm, Remus?"

Remus felt his face flush as he saw that the sleeve of his robe had slipped down his arm as he carried his books. Clearly visible was the still healing gash of the bite.

"Neighbour's dog bit me," he lied.

"Must have been a big dog," Sirius muttered as he pulled the sleeve back to reveal the rest of the injury and the bruises further up the sleeve. James gasped as he too saw the injured arm and the two of them pulled him into a nearby empty classroom.

"A dog didn't do that," James hissed as he pointed to the bruises further up Remus's arm.

"Looks like someone's hit you," Sirius said in a tone that sounded like he had seen such injuries before.

"No they haven't," Remus insisted as he tried to pull his arm back from Sirius who was closely inspecting the injuries.

"This looks like it could have been caused by a belt strap and buckle," Sirius suggested as he pointed at the gash and looked to James.

Remus saw James give Sirius an enquiring look. Sirius suddenly seemed to realise he had said more than he wanted and stepped back. Remus took the opportunity to pull his sleeve back down over his arm and do a bit of quick thinking.

"I fell over running from the dog," he explained. "Right down some steps…that's where the bruises came from…then the dog caught me and bit me."

"You sure?" James asked. "You know we're your friends and you can tell us anything?"

Remus nodded in reply before realising that James was not actually looking at him, but instead was studying Sirius who had gone uncharacteristically quiet.

"I know," Remus added. "But it really was the neighbour's dog. I can get a photo if you like?"

"Nah," James shook his head. "We believe you, don't we?"

Sirius nodded his agreement and flung his arm around Remus's shoulder as the four friends left the classroom together and strolled down the corridor to join their classmates.


	8. A Rotten Trick

**Part Eight – A Rotten Trick**

Remus was relieved when his friends didn't question him again about the injuries he had acquired over the weekend of the full moon. They didn't press the issue and Remus spent next couple of days catching up with the work he had missed at the start of the week.

On Thursday morning he found that he had read over the chapters covered in all the classes he had missed and with the help of James and Sirius he felt that he was no longer behind in his classes. He was thankful that the first full moon of the year had fallen during a weekend. Of the three days he had been isolated away from the school, two of them had been the weekend. The effect had been that he had only missed Monday's lessons and part of Tuesday morning.

The first class on Thursday morning was potions. Remus was relieved that he had not missed any potions classes during this full moon. With his father's reputation as a terrible potions brewer, Remus was determined to ensure that he did not follow in his footsteps.

Sitting down at an empty desk he waited for Sirius to join him. This week it was James who was working with Peter who unfortunately had no talent for potions at all. Remus would even go so far as to say that Peter was an even worse potions brewer than Patrick Lupin.

James and Sirius strolled into the room and Sirius sat down at the desk beside Remus. James took a seat at the desk beside them and Remus noticed that both James and Sirius made sure that they were both on the opposite ends of the table so that they could chat together with ease.

Remus saw that Severus Snape was sitting directly in front of James. He turned round with a small smile on his face. Remus wondered briefly if he was trying to smooth things over and be more friendly with the Gryffindors but there was something sly in the smile that he didn't like.

"What you looking at _Snivellus_?" James sneered, as the late arriving Peter sat down beside him and went off into a fit of giggles.

"It wasn't that funny," Remus heard Severus mutter as he turned away, his face flushed with embarrassment.

After the instructions from Professor Slughorn were made clear everyone turned to their cauldrons and started working on the Bass potion. It was a potion that once completed would be tested by the students. If it had been made accurately it would result in the deepening of the voices of the class. Professor Slughorn explained that it was always an interesting potion to give to the first years to make as the boys' voices hadn't yet broken and the effect was far better when this was the case.

"So," Sirius asked as they prepared the ingredients, "was it really a family emergency last weekend?"

"Yes," Remus sighed. "I told you it was."

"You know you can tell us if something's up, right?" Sirius said as he shot Remus an uncharacteristically intense look.

"There isn't anything wrong," Remus insisted.

A loud sigh from James drew Sirius' attention away from him momentarily. They turned to see that Peter had dropped a bunch of leaves onto the floor. Bending down James and Peter picked up the leaves, Peter apologising repeatedly for his clumsiness.

"So everything's okay at home now?" Sirius said as he turned away from Peter with a roll of his eyes. "Emergency all sorted out?"

"Everything's fine," Remus insisted as he pretended to look intently at the contents of the cauldron.

"You wouldn't be the only one with trouble at home," Sirius whispered as Remus bit his lip, hating the lies that he was being forced to tell.

"Everything's fine," Remus repeated with a forced laugh. "I promise that my parents are great and if you ever meet them you'll see for yourself."

"What do you mean, if?" Sirius asked. "My family's awful. I'm counting on you and James to have me over for the holidays."

"Sure," Remus laughed. "I'm sure they'll be happy to have you." _Providing there isn't a full moon at the time_, he silently added.

The subject finally appeared to be closed and Remus and Sirius continued to work on their potion. Finally they were done and the class prepared to test their brews.

He noticed that Severus and his lab partner Martin had successfully managed to mix the potion and their voices were now deep and thick.

Remus and Sirius took a drink of their own potion and found that although it was not as effective as that of Severus it was clearly enough to gain a pass.

He and Sirius talked together in their deep voices for a moment when the sound of a strangled scream came from the table next to them. Turning to see what was the matter he saw James and Peter standing with their hands clasped over their mouths. Peter looked like he was about to be sick.

Everyone in the room had turned to see what was happening and Professor Slughorn rushed over to see what the commotion was.

"Let me through," he ordered and the students stepped back to let him pass.

"Aaahm..mm.aahh...mmmumm," mumbled James.

"Spit it out lad, spit it out," said the Professor. James took him literally and spat into the cauldron a mouthful of bile and saliva.

"Let's see now," Professor Slughorn grabbed James' face and forcibly opened his mouth.

Remus leaned around Sirius to see what was happening. He couldn't tell for sure but it looked like James had lost all of his teeth. He wondered what had happened. With the ingredients they had there was little that could go wrong with the potion, all the ingredients did was alter the pitch of the drinker's voice. Sirius had commented during the class that all that could really go wrong was the pitch going higher if the ingredients were in the wrong order. Remus himself knew little enough about potions and was unable to contradict that, but Sirius and James were the smartest students in the class and if Sirius said that was the case then it must be right. He was rarely wrong when it came to the classes.

"I think you might have failed this lesson today Mr Potter." Professor Slughorn was calm as he explained that their teeth could easily be restored with the dental version of Skele-Grow. Remus didn't envy his friends having to drink it though; he'd had to try it himself after losing a couple of teeth during a full moon and he still recalled the awful taste of the stuff.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" Professor Slughorn was asking.

James shook his head whilst Peter continued to spit into the cauldron.

"Well I guess you had both better go to Madam Pomfrey and grow your teeth back."

He watched as James and Peter grabbed their books and practically ran from the room. Sirius made to follow after them but was halted across the room by Professor Slughorn who pointed out that the his two friends were quite capable of finding the hospital wing for themselves.

Sirius made to walk back to his desk where Remus was noisily clearing up the equipment. The look on Sirius's face was one of fury as he took his seat again. Remus wondered what had happened to anger his friend, though he didn't have to wonder for long.

No sooner were they out of the door than Sirius turned to Remus. "Did you hear what he said?" he whispered.

"You mean about them knowing where the hospital wing is?"

"No, not Slughorn," Sirius shook his head. "Avery."

"No," Remus shook his head in confusion. "What did he say?"

"He said 'Nice one' to _Snivellus_," Sirius said with a sneer.

"You think Severus had something to do with that?" Remus asked. He recalled the sly smile Severus had directed at James when he had taken his seat at the start of class. He wondered whether he should mention it to Sirius but decided against it. There was no sense in stirring up more trouble. There was plenty as it was.

"I'll bet anything that he did. But don't worry, we'll make him pay." Sirius nodded thoughtfully as the walked to their next class.

"But what if you're wrong?" Remus asked. "You should at least make sure that it was him. How do you know it wasn't something else they were talking about? And you know Peter isn't that great at potions?"

"Or anything else," Sirius muttered. "We'll make sure it was _Snivellus_, okay?"

"Okay," Remus agreed although he already suspected that Sirius's suspicions were right on target.

"Then we'll make him pay," Sirius declared.

* * *

Remus sighed at the determination he heard in the voice of his friend. It looked like the hostilities were far from over. Why couldn't Severus have left well enough alone?

When Remus and Sirius went to visit James and Peter in the hospital wing that evening, Sirius wasted no time in voicing his suspicions of what had happened. Remus was disappointed to see that James and Peter agreed with Sirius at once. Peter especially seemed relieved to pass the blame for the disastrous potion onto another person beside himself.

"Ah gnew i'," James mumbled between his half grown teeth, wincing slightly in pain. "iggle gi'."

"No talking," Madam Pomfrey called from across the room as she popped her head out of her office. "That's the second time I've had to tell you. If I have to remind you again you won't get any visitors at all. Understood?"

James and Peter nodded silently.

"I've got to get going anyway," Remus said as he stood up. "I still have to finish my astronomy assignment before tonight."

"Me too," Sirius said as he stood up to follow Remus towards the door. "At least you get out of that one."

James grinned and gave him a thumbs up sign.

Leaving the ward Sirius and Remus headed to the common room. He wondered if James would even let Severus try to deny he had done anything to their potion. It seemed to him that James and Sirius had already convicted him for the stunt. Remus had also noticed that Sirius was repeatedly making faces and gestures towards Severus every time he saw him in an effort to wind him up.

* * *

It was Sunday morning before James and Peter were finally released from the care of Madam Pomfrey. Remus and Sirius gave a cheer as they entered the common room.

"How'd you get out of so many classes?" Sirius asked. "Lucky gits."

"Madam Pomfrey wanted to make sure that we had all our teeth back again," James explained. "Took ages 'cos we had to have a separate dose for each separate tooth."

"Bet it's the longest you've ever stayed quiet for, right?" Sirius laughed.

"Probably," James grinned. "So, what've we missed?"

Sirius and Remus spent the rest of the morning filling the duo in on their assignments and the school gossip before they headed down to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Don't see him here," James commented as he looked over at the Slytherin table.

"He'll he hiding out somewhere," Sirius snickered. "We'll track him down after we've eaten."

"Then he's going to be sorry he tampered with our potion," said James as he took a bite of pie.

After leaving the Great Hall it didn't take long for them to track down the sneaky Slytherin. He was walking casually across the courtyard as they came out of the doors into the cool fresh air.

Remus watched Severus come to an abrupt halt. He wondered for a moment if he would run off but then realised that he was going to stand his ground. Remus glanced at James and Sirius and saw that they too had spotted their quarry.

"You're going to give him a chance to explain, remember?" Remus whispered to Sirius. A moment later he realised he had asked the wrong person as James broke free from their group and sprinted across the courtyard to where Severus stood waiting. He watched him pull out his wand and thrust it into Severus's face. Severus stepped back and reached for his own wand.

"You sabotaged my potion you little git!" shouted James. _So much for giving him a chance,_ thought Remus as he and the others hurried after James.

"You jinxed my broom!" Severus yelled back.

"You don't deny it then?" James spat out in fury.

"No, do you?" replied Severus who was clearly seething himself.

"He can't deny it anyway," interrupted Sirius. "I heard Martin congratulate him in class. And the whole of the Slytherin house knows about it. Right proud of him they are." _News to me_, thought Remus, though he couldn't deny that it was probably true.

"Proud are they?" said James thoughtfully. "Bet they won't be so proud of him when I've done with him."

"What you gonna do?" jeered Severus as he raised his wand higher.

"Come on, calm down now," interrupted Remus. Things were getting well out of hand. He moved to step in front of James and stretched out his arms in an attempt to move them further apart. Unfortunately neither of them were going to budge an inch.

"Calm down?" James yelled. "He tried to poison us!"

"Yeah," said Peter. "He could have killed us."

"Rubbish," answered Severus. Remus thought he sounded very sure of himself and he knew that the Slytherin had a talent for potions, he gained top marks nearly every week. Perhaps he had known that what he had done could be easily remedied.

"Come on now," tried Remus again. He silently hoped for one of the Professors to come along and break things up but there was never one around when you needed one. Turning to James he tried to reason with him. "You jinxed his broom, he messed up your potion. Some might say it evens the score."

"Does it heck! He got praised for sticking on that broom. We got failed for that potion. I don't call that even. Do you Peter?"

"No," agreed Peter. "We would have got top marks that lesson if not for _Snivellus_ here."

"Right," said James.

"Whose side are you on?" asked James shooting a glare at Remus. Remus stepped back a pace at the hostility in his friend's face. "You're not taking the side of this greasy little git are you?" James asked as he jabbed his wand at Severus.

"Of course not," answered Remus. He glanced at Severus who was making no effort to try and help put things behind them either.

"You're sure about that?" James scowled.

"Yes," said Remus quietly and he stepped back a little further from James. He still had his wand out and he didn't want him pointing it at his direction.

"Good," said James in a quieter voice, his temper receding. "Us Gryffindors stick together. Loyalty is just as important to us as to the Hufflepuffs."

"Remus didn't mean anything by stepping in, did you?" said Sirius. "Just not used to all this action after living out in that isolated village of yours, are you?"

"That's right," said Remus, as he felt a wave of gratitude for Sirius wash over him. "Besides one of the Professors could come by here any minute. I don't want to see my friends getting into trouble. Just watching your back. That's all."

James was pacified and smiled at Remus, their differences forgotten. Remus felt a rush of relief at his friend's smile.

"You're right," James agreed. "Too many people could see us here."

"Somewhere else then?" suggested Sirius.

"Yeah." James stood and thought for a moment. "How about round the back of Hagrid's next weekend? I heard Dumbledore telling Madam Pomfrey that Hagrid was going to London then to run some errands. He was asking her to stop by twice a day to feed his dog. It should be deserted the rest of the time."

"Perfect," agreed Sirius. "Is that okay with you _Snivellus_?"

Remus looked at Severus who merely glared at the group. It was clear that any chance of friendship with the young Slytherin had vanished the minute he had sabotaged James's potion.

"We'll take that as a yes then." James lowered his wand and put it back into his robes. "A proper duel, without cheating."

Severus still didn't reply and James merely turned from him and walked away back towards the doorway. Remus turned with Sirius and Peter to follow him.

Remus silently admitted to himself that he had been wrong about Severus Snape. What sort of student would do something so awful to another pupil? He didn't know a great deal about potions but according to Sirius and James what Severus had done was very dangerous. He wondered what else the boy was capable of doing and considered that it might be best to just stay out of his way altogether in the future. But how was he to do that when James and Sirius were determined to teach the Slytherin a lesson?

Remus knew didn't want anything to do with the duel but how was he going to get out of it? For the first time in his life he wished that there were a full moon coming up so that he could use it as an excuse not to be a part of what he was sure was going to be a complete disaster.


	9. Holding Back

**Part Nine – Holding Back**

Remus scowled as he glared at his books and the barely started assignments on his table in the library. He hadn't been able to concentrate in the common room where James and Sirius were excitedly debating the best spells to use in the duel with Severus. He kept losing his train of thought when they turned to ask his opinion. For the most part he had just shrugged or nodded. His own opinion had been that the duel was unnecessary and would only escalate the problems between his friends and Severus. But he knew that was not what the others wanted to hear, and so when his opinion was sought he had merely agreed with the others and told them exactly what they wanted to hear.

Eventually though he had given up trying to work in the common room. Explaining he needed to look some things up in the library, he gathered his books and parchment and sought the sanctuary of the quieter environment of Madam Pince's library.

"Haven't you done yet?" The cheerful voice broke into Remus' troubled thoughts.

"Not yet," he replied as he looked up into the grinning face of James Potter.

"Have you actually started yet?" Sirius asked as he joined them and pulled a book from Remus' pile and flicked idly through it.

Peter followed behind him and settled down with his own books to finish the assignments he had still to complete. Remus looked at Peter and realised that even he had managed to get more work done than himself.

"Not exactly," Remus shrugged as he grimaced at the three inches of parchment he had managed to write in the last hour.

"We'll help, won't we Sirius?" James offered as he too sat down at the table and grabbed a book from the pile. "What're you stuck on?"

Remus looked from James to Sirius and saw that their offer of help was in earnest. Despite his opinion of their actions in setting up the duel he was extremely grateful that they had taken the trouble to track him down and offer their assistance. He felt a rush of gratitude for his friends and with a grin he explained what he was having trouble with and with James and Sirius' insight and intelligence Remus was soon completing the first of his assignments.

He had just returned from the transfiguration section of the library ready to start his next essay when James turned to him waving a piece of paper.

"What do you think, Remus?" James asked as he showed him the note he and Sirius had prepared for Severus whilst Remus had been searching for the textbook. As well as the details for the time and place of the duel, Saturday at 5pm behind Hagrid's Hut, one of them had also added a cruel sketch of James standing victorious over a defeated Severus. The first thing that popped into Remus' mind when he saw it was the old adage that pride comes before a fall, but he didn't think either of the boys would appreciate the sentiment.

"So you're going to go through with it?" Remus cautiously asked instead.

"Can't back out now mate," James said with a shrug.

"I guess," replied Remus.

"Besides, we wouldn't give _Snivellus_ the satisfaction," James sneered.

"You don't think he would just be relieved if you called it all off?" Remus suggested in a slightly hopeful tone.

"Probably at first," Sirius agreed. "But when he has got over the relief he would be throwing it back in our faces all the time."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. From what he had seen of Severus so far this month he suspected that James was probably right. Severus certainly seemed to hold grudges and after the trick with the broomstick he had merely waited for the ideal opportunity to execute his revenge on James. It was quite easy to imagine that he would also be the type to gloat over a victory. Then again, so were James and Sirius. At each flying lesson since the first James or Sirius, or more often than not both, had made some small sly comment towards Severus about brooms and staying on them.

"We're going to pass him the note in potions tomorrow morning," James said. "Then Saturday we teach him not to mess with the Gryffindors once and for all."

Sirius nodded in agreement and Remus sighed as he realised that things had definitely gone too far to be called off now. He wondered briefly if perhaps he should stop trying to think of excuses to get out of going with the others to the duel and go with them to make sure that they didn't do serious damage to the unsuspecting Slytherin.

The only problem was that even if he was there he knew he would not have the courage to stop his friends if they were going too far. James's expression when he had tried to intervene in the courtyard played in his memory and he knew that he never wanted to see that expression directed his way again.

* * *

The next morning Remus sat down next to James in the potions classroom. This time Sirius was with Peter and once again Severus was sat in front of them. Once the class was underway James leaned across to Sirius and passed him the note with a small nod towards Severus. Sirius grinned and winked. Pulling out his wand he leaned forward and gave Severus a short sharp jab in the middle of his back. Severus' hand was already reaching for his own wand when he spun round with a venomous glare.

"Nervous?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"You wish," Severus hissed.

Sirius laughed quietly, careful not to catch the attention of the head of the Slytherin house. Leaning forward again he passed Severus the note. Remus looked across discreetly as he opened the parchment and saw the contents. It was hard to tell for sure, but he suspected that the small Slytherin boy actually went a shade or two paler than his regular pallid complexion as he read the contents of the note. He watched Severus give a small nod before tucking the note away in a book and turning back to his cauldron.

The class was a double and for Remus it dragged on interminably. He struggled to make his potion and feared more than ever that he was going to be following in his father's footsteps and failing the subject miserably.

It didn't help his concentration that James and Sirius were busy chatting about various spells they were going to be practising before Saturday. He didn't know if Severus could hear what they were saying, but if he could, Remus had no doubt that he would be failing today's lesson too. Remus was finding it nearly impossible to concentrate on the lesson and he wasn't even the one who was going to have the spells directed at him.

Sirius was just describing a particularly nasty hex he was hoping to try when Remus accidentally dropped far too many porcupine quills into the cauldron. He blanched in horror and looked at James who had spotted his error.

"Don't worry about it, mate," James said. "Happens to the best of us."

"What's going on here?" Professor Slughorn appeared in front of their desk with a forbidding expression on his face. Peering over the top of his glasses into the cauldron he tutted quietly.

"Well Mr Lupin, you appear to have been a little over enthusiastic with the porcupine quills." Looking up with a small smile he shook his head. "Never mind."

"I'm not in trouble?" Remus asked in surprise.

"Not as long as you complete four feet of parchment explaining the importance of concentrating fully when brewing potions."

"Four feet?" Remus groaned slightly at the thought of the extra work that would involve.

"By Saturday evening, Mr Lupin." Professor Slughorn nodded and turned back towards his desk.

"Yes sir," Remus answered dismally.

It wasn't until he was leaving the class a short while later that he realised that he could leave that assignment to the last minute and work on it whilst the others were behind Hagrid's hut. It was a perfect plan.

* * *

By Friday afternoon Remus knew that there was definitely no possibility of the duel being called off. The final nail in the coffin of his hopes was the incident outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

He had arrived at the class with James and Sirius, eager to get the final class of the afternoon out of the way.

"The dark arts expert is here early again," James snickered. Remus looked ahead and saw that Severus and Martin were indeed already waiting outside the door.

"You ready to be humiliated?" called out James as they approached the classroom. Remus groaned slightly. Just once it would be nice if James and Sirius could keep quiet and leave things be. He wished silently for Severus to ignore the question but once again it was not to be.

"A-a-are you?" Severus called back. Remus suspected that he had indeed heard the comments in the potions class the previous day. He sounded far less confident in himself now. Remus didn't blame him. If James knew even half the hexes he had boasted about Severus would be lucky to survive to see Monday morning.

James laughed out loud.

"The D-d-d-dark Arts expert sounds a little nervous, wouldn't you say?" cackled Sirius as Peter arrived and joined in the joke.

"You're the ones who should be s-scared." Severus reached into his robe and pulled out his wand. Remus inched forward slightly but hesitated to say anything.

"You're pathetic," spat James as he pulled out his own wand and waved it menacingly towards Severus.

"We'll s-see who's p-p-pathetic tomorrow, w-won't we?" Severus stuttered again. Remus cast an anxious look down the corridor. Why was it that the Professors were always late when there was trouble?

"Maybe I should just finish you off now?" suggested James.

"Yeah, go on," encouraged Peter with a look of great anticipation on his face. Remus wondered if he might have a quiet word with Peter later on about his encouragement of the others. Maybe he would have better luck getting through to him than he had with James and Sirius.

Remus saw Sirius glance down the corridors too. He too saw that the Professor was nowhere in sight and he nodded his agreement to James.

Remus looked at Severus and caught him glancing towards him. He wondered if he should try to step in again. For some reason he thought that Severus was actually hoping that he would do something to intervene. But the moment passed by and the black haired boy looked away again to face his adversary.

"What do you think?" asked James. He placed the forefinger of his free hand under his chin and struck a pose of concentration. Remus rolled his eyes as James played to the crowd.

Severus continued to point his wand at James but no hex was forthcoming. Remus noticed that his hand was shaking slightly but whether from fear, anger or tiredness he couldn't tell.

"I've got it" announced James after a moment. Remus turned to him and waited with the rest of the students who had now all gathered ready for the class.

"Good," said Sirius. "Hurry it up will you?"

"_Furnunculus!_" James shouted and pointed his wand directly at Severus.

Remus looked at Severus in horror when he realised that James had actually gone ahead and hexed the boy in the middle of the day when the teacher would be along at any moment. He turned back to Severus just in time to see him duck out of the way of the hex. Unfortunately Martin Avery was not so lucky and the curse hit him full in the face.

Martin screamed and his hands flew to his face where boils were erupting at a rapid pace. Within a minute his face was hardly recognisable and his lips were too swollen to speak.

"Lousy aim but what a result," laughed Sirius. Remus glared at him but he was doubled over in laughter and oblivious to the disapproval.

"Even if it missed the greasy little git, at least it hit a Slytherin," roared James.

"What's going on here?" the commanding voice of Professor Knott-Bolt echoed down the corridor and the laughter stopped instantly. The only sound was the muffled cries of Martin as his face continued to break out in boils. Remus stepped back and tried to distance himself slightly from the chaos outside the door.

Taking in the situation in an instant Professor Knott-Bolt despatched Martin to the hospital wing, handed out a detention to James, and opened the doors to the classroom.

"First years," he grumbled as he swept into the room. "Can't leave 'em alone for a minute."

Remus filed into the room with the rest of the class and took his seat beside Sirius. James sat down at the other side of him and Peter sat down on the far side of James.

"Right, class," Professor Knott-Bolt called out. "Today you are going to be working in pairs and learning how to deflect minor jinxes. If you have all been studying what you have been taught so far this year you should have no problem."

Remus looked at Sirius who leaned down to whisper that the Professor must have known they would need practical experience before tomorrow.

"I think he knows that at least one person in the class has had more than enough practice," Remus hissed back. Sirius laughed quietly.

"Well at least _Snivellus_ can get a bit of practice," Sirius snickered.

"Who's he going to work with though?" Remus asked quietly as he looked about the room. No one from Slytherin house was calling Severus over to them.

"Who cares?" Sirius whispered.

"Maybe we should ask him to join our group?" Remus suggested tentatively.

"Great idea," Sirius grinned. "We can have a trial run before tomorrow. Give him a little taste of what's to come."

Professor Knott-Bolt had also spotted the problem of the odd numbers in the class. "Ah yes, Severus. You will have to join one of the other groups for today."

"Who wants Mr Snape to join their group?" called out Professor Knott-Bolt when no one answered.

Remus looked at Sirius who had a look of eager anticipation on his face at the thought of tormenting Severus right away. Making a quick decision Remus leaned forward again and whispered that he was have trouble with deflections himself and would rather work one on one with someone to get extra practice. Sirius shrugged and sat back without calling out for Severus to join them. Remus shifted in his seat as the entire class remained silent.

"Come on now," called out Professor Knott-Bolt, "it's just for today."

Remus was wondering whether to call out after all when another voice broke the uneasy silence.

"Severus can work with us."

Remus looked across the room to where Lily Evans was sat with her arm raised. For a moment he felt ashamed that he had not had the courage to ask Severus to join him and Sirius for the class. That the only person decent enough to ask Severus to join them was the young Gryffindor girl.

Then he remembered seeing them together on the train and contemplated that perhaps they were friends. He wondered if their apparent friendship had been able to survive their being separated by Sorting Hat. He'd already seen how the members of each house banded together for meals, for class projects, for recreation…for everything.

His thoughts were interrupted by James leaning across the desk and loudly whispering "that's more _Snivellus's_ league. He might just manage to deflect a curse from a couple of inexperienced girls."

Sirius laughed in response and James chuckled. Even the glares shot over at their table from Severus and Lily could not deflate their high spirits. Remus tried not to laugh along with them but it was becoming increasingly more difficult not to get caught up in the excitement of his friends.


	10. The Victor's Tale

**Part Ten – The Victor's Tale**

By Saturday morning Remus had made his mind up that he would make sure that he was not going to be going along with his friends to the duel with Severus. He had listened to them as they had discussed the curses and hexes they were planning on practising all day before the battle late that afternoon. Nothing seemed to be especially dangerous and Remus decided to leave them to go alone.

The main thing that had brought him to this decision however was a letter from his parents, delivered by the family owl at breakfast. The letter was long with lots of news about the recent happenings in the village and Remus was thrilled to receive it on the bright Saturday morning. But it was the postscript at the end that brought about his decision to distance himself from the inevitable trouble that the duel would bring.

Most of the letter had been written in the neat script of his mother. But at the very end his father had added a line, obviously out of sight of his wife.

_PS: Your mother has coped very well with your first month away from home. I believe the break has been good for her so be sure to behave yourself and we'll have an extra special surprise for you at Christmas._

Remus noticed that both his parents had been very careful not to mention the full moon in their letter but his father's final words were a clear reference for the monthly nightmare that ruled their lives. The last thing he wanted to do was cause more pain for his family by getting sent home in disgrace.

"Got a letter from home Lupin?" James asked from across the table.

"Yeah," Remus replied, casually waving the same.

"Me too," James answered. "And look what else there is here. More Dungbombs."

"Your parents sent you Dungbombs?" Remus asked as he looked across the table in astonishment.

"My dad was a bit of a prankster too," James grinned. "I'll bet he didn't let mum know he was sending these."

"Wonder who we should use them on…" Sirius contemplated as he looked at the letters his friends had received.

"Nothing from your family yet?" Peter asked.

"No," Sirius snapped. Then, almost as if he realised he was giving away more than he had meant to, he added in a jovial tone, "with a bit of luck they'll have forgotten all about me and won't notice if I don't go home. James's house sounds much more fun than mine."

"Have they written to you at all?" Peter asked, completely oblivious to the subtle attempt of Sirius to direct the subject away from his family.

"Just once," Sirius answered. "Mum wrote after my aunt had told them about me being in Gryffindor. I bet it was Bellatrix or Narcissa who wrote to tell her. They'd do it out of spite."

"So your mum wasn't happy about you being in Gryffindor?" James asked.

"Hardly," Sirius replied with a grimace.

"Never mind," James said. "If they kick you out you can always come and stay with us. My parents won't mind."

"They won't kick me out; I'm not that lucky," Sirius said with a frown. "So what does your letter say Remus? Anything interesting?"

"See for yourself," Remus replied as he handed the letter over, silently relieved that his parents were alert enough not to put anything in their letters to him that would give away his secret to someone else who might read them.

He watched Sirius's reaction as he skimmed through the letter. He knew that Sirius, even more so than the other two, was suspicious about what his family was like. Too late he recalled the letter not only had no reference to his supposed trip home, and actually had a postscript referring to his being away for a month. He caught the quick frown from Sirius as he read the last page but he remained quiet as he handed the letter back and finished off his pumpkin juice.

When they had all finished eating Remus followed his friends out of the Great Hall. James, Sirius and Peter soon found a spare classroom to practice in for the duel and Remus tagged along with them for a while.

Finally he decided that the work for his classes could not wait any longer and he returned to the common room to make a start on his Defence Against the Dark Arts essay. He knew his potions essay should come first but if James and Sirius were pressing him to go to the duel with them it was his last ditch excuse to stay away. The decision made he began the other essay and worked steadily as the room grew darker and darker as the storm clouds that had been on the horizon since the morning moved overhead and the rain began to pour down over the school.

Taking only a break for lunch Remus ploughed on through his work and was just finishing off his last assignment, save for the Potions essay, when the sound of James and Sirius laughing drew his attention to the door of the common room.

His jaw dropped as he saw Sirius. His black hair that was usually collar length was now down to his waist and still growing. Sirius stood with his hands holding his ever-increasing hair back and Peter was helping him to keep it from entangling itself around his throat.

"I can't believe you didn't check you had the counter-curse before testing this," Sirius laughed.

"I have a book upstairs with it in," James replied between guffaws of laughter.

"You have to use that one," Peter chuckled. "It would be great on that greasy little worm."

"Yeah," agreed Sirius with a smirk at Peter, before turning back to the hexer. "If James will stop laughing long enough to go and find the counter-curse."

"Okay," James spluttered as he made his way to the stairs. Sirius's hair was now down to his ankles and Remus stood up to help him carry it and keep from tripping over it as he made his way across the room.

"Hey look, it's Rupunzel," laughed Lily Evans from where she sat in front of the large roaring fire.

"Huh?" Sirius looked at Remus blankly.

"A muggle fairy tale princess," Remus explained with a smirk. Sirius rolled his eyes good-naturedly before turning to Lily and batting his eyelids wildly in a gesture that had she and her friend laughing again.

A few minutes later James returned and quickly spoke the words of the counter-curse that caused the excess hair to fall away and vanish, leaving Sirius's hair exactly as it had been before.

"It's quarter to five," James announced a short while later. "Time to go teach the slimy Slytherin a lesson."

"Yeah," agreed Sirius standing up. "You ready Remus?"

"I can't come," Remus replied as he shifted in his seat at the looks from his friends. "I've still got to do the extra potions essay for Professor Slughorn. He wants it by tonight."

"Didn't you do that earlier?" James asked. "You've been working all day. What've you been doing?"

"The Defence Against the Dark Arts essay, the Transfiguration practical and the astronomy chart," Remus answered with a gesture to the completed work on the table.

"You could have done any of those tomorrow," James pointed out with a frown. "I've not done most of those myself yet."

"I forgot," Remus replied with a shrug, his eyes downcast. He really didn't like lying to his friends, and this time it wasn't even because of his secret.

"Never mind," Sirius said. "We'll fill you in on all the gory details when we get back from trouncing _Snivellus_."

"Okay," Remus answered with a forced enthusiasm he didn't feel. "I can't wait to hear about it."

James nodded and he and Peter followed Sirius out of the common room. Remus was just wondering if he should forget about the Potions essay and follow after them anyway when Lily came across to the table and sat down opposite him.

"So they really are going to have a duel with Severus?" she asked with a glance towards the closing door.

"I guess," Remus answered.

"I think you're right to stay out of it," Lily said with a shake of her head. "I told Severus not to go but I don't think he'll listen. I said I wouldn't have any part of it…but maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty."

Remus looked at the worried countenance across from him. It seemed that he was not the only one who had been worried about the duel that was no doubt going to start any minute. He could see that Lily was as concerned as he was that perhaps they should be down at Hagrid's hut, rather than sitting in the common room wondering about what had happened.

"I don't know." Remus sighed. "Maybe I should go after all and keep an eye on things."

"They can't do anything really bad to him can they?" Lily asked as she chewed on her lip.

"Depends on their definition of bad," Remus replied as he considered yet again whether he should go after them.

"They'll not do anything that'll get them into too much trouble," Lily commented, and Remus had the impression she was talking herself out of going down there as much as him.

"You're probably right," agreed Remus. "And this potions essay won't write itself."

Lily grinned momentarily before she moved back over to the fireplace, leaving Remus to quickly write the essay before the end of the evening. He couldn't help glancing across the room towards Lily who it appeared was far less sure of her decision to stay away than her words had implied.

It was not too long before James and Sirius returned to the common room, full of the news of their victory over Severus Snape. By this time the common room was crowded with Gryffindor students who were relaxing in front of the fire as the storm raged outside. Everyone in the room went quiet to listen to the account of the duel of the year.

"The loser didn't bring a second with him," James told his captive audience.

"That's 'cos he's got no friends," Sirius explained to the snickers and giggles of the crowd.

"Peter here acted as judge," James said with a gesture towards Peter who glowed with pride at being the centre of attention for the moment. "And as a fair and impartial judge-"

There were a few snorts from around the room at this.

"As a fair and impartial judge," James repeated, slightly louder, "he decided that it was a Gryffindor victory of two rounds to one."

"For round one," Sirius called out, "James used the tried and tested collapsing legs jinx for an easy victory over _Snivellus's_ wasps that flew from his wand following his successful incantation, but decided against attacking James and instead flew for the Forbidden Forest."

The crowd laughed and even Remus felt himself smiling at the thought of the wasps having no interest in the duellers and going exactly where they pleased.

"For round two." Sirius paused for dramatic effect. "_Snivellus_ made a surprise comeback with the frozen man spell. Our champion would no doubt have retaliated brilliantly but as he was frozen it was decided that it would be fair to award this round to _Snivellus_."

A few boos sounded around the room. Remus looked about to see who the sounds came from but he could not tell. It seemed however that Severus had been making more enemies than he thought. That or the rest of the Gryffindors were as prejudiced against the Slytherins as James and Sirius appeared to be. He wondered briefly whether James and Sirius would have remained friends if Sirius had been sorted into the same house as the rest of his family.

"For the final round," Sirius called out once the room had again calmed down. "_Snivellus_ found that an arm-locking spell was not match for the suffocating hair spell. Although James was again incapacitated with the spell directed at him, it was not before he was able to successful extend _Snivellus's_ greasy hair. _Snivellus_ failed to use the correct counter-curse to revert his hair back to it usual revolting state and instead had to cut it off. So be sure to check out his wonderful new look when you next see him."

The crowd roared with laughter and even Remus couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the spell James had used on Sirius being used on Severus too. The effects of the spell were amusing. His laughter died however when he saw Lily sitting across the room frowning. Remus looked around the room and it was obviously clear that she was the only person who had not found the exploits of his friends amusing. In fact she looked disgusted with them.

"He'll be hiding out in the Slytherin common room for the rest of the weekend," one of the second years laughed.

"You might be able to see him before he gets there," James said. "The little cheat tried to trip me up as we came back so I used Impedimenta on him to teach him a lesson. He's probably still out there trying to break free."

Remus looked out of the window of the tower. He sincerely hoped that Severus had managed to free himself and get inside out of the storm.


	11. Caught in the Middle

**Part Eleven – Caught in the Middle**

The next morning Remus went down to the Great Hall with the rest of the Gryffindors. James and Sirius were still talking loudly about their victory over Severus. Remus noticed that with each telling of the story they embellished it slightly and he was soon wondering how much was real and how much was a product of their own imaginations.

"Let's see if _Snivellus_ is ready for a rematch," James laughed as they scanned the Slytherin table for the other boy.

Remus frowned slightly as he tried to find Severus but there was no sign of the small dark-haired boy anywhere in the Great Hall.

"Never mind," Sirius said as he swallowed his pumpkin juice. "We'll see him in class tomorrow."

"Yeah," replied James as he stood up from the table. "Let's go get on with the assignments that are due this week."

"Okay," Sirius agreed as he pocketed some food from the table to snack on later in the day. "You coming Remus?"

"I finished all mine yesterday," Remus admitted with a weak smile.

"Okay," James nodded with an assessing look on his face as he followed Sirius out of the hall and back to Gryffindor Tower.

"They're really proud of themselves," Lily Evans said from across the table where she sat glaring after James and the others. "I hope Severus is all right."

"I'm sure he is," Remus said, although he silently thought it was odd that he wasn't sitting with Martin Avery and the other first years at the Slytherin table. "He probably just didn't want to come down here with everyone else and listen to James and Sirius bragging."

"I hope you're right," Lily replied with a worried look of her own in the direction of the Slytherins.

For the rest of the day Remus kept to himself and spent most of his time reading ahead in his text books. He had realised that if he was always a little way ahead of the rest of the class he would not fall as far behind when he was missing classes during the times of the full moon.

Each meal time Remus went down to the Great Hall and kept a watch for Severus but he was nowhere in sight. Meanwhile James, Sirius and Peter remained in Gryffindor Tower working on their assignments for the remainder of the weekend.

Remus tried to hear what the Slytherin students were talking about at the evening meal but he could not make out any of their conversations. One thing he did notice though was that the first years were rather quieter than usual and a couple of them had expressions of worry on their faces. He wondered if it had anything to do with Severus but he didn't want to go across and ask them.

Lily however had no reservations about approaching the Slytherins and asking them where Severus was. Remus watched in admiration as she marched over to Martin Avery as he was leaving the hall.

"Wait a minute, Martin," Lily called in a loud tone that drew the attention of both Remus and several of the older Slytherin students who were near to the entrance.

"Where's Severus?" Lily demanded to know.

"He's not well," Martin answered with a careless shrug as he moved to continue out of the door.

"What's wrong with him?" Lily asked as she moved to block his way.

"Don't know," Martin answered as he tried to manoeuvre past her. "A cold or something, he's in the hospital wing."

Remus stood up and joined Lily and Martin in the doorway. "You don't go to the hospital wing with a cold," he pointed out. "It must be more serious than that."

"He was taken there about an hour ago," Martin said, still eager to leave the hall. "He was caught in the storm last night and came in all wet. Probably just bad luck."

Remus exchanged a quick glance with Lily who had turned pale at the news. Martin took advantage of their distraction to slip past and down the corridor.

"They really did leave him stuck out in the storm," Lily fumed, her face now flushing with fury.

"Maybe they didn't know how long it would take him to break free?" Remus suggested.

"They could have killed him," Lily raged as she took off down the corridor to the hospital wing. Remus followed in her wake.

They reached the entrance to the hospital wing and Lily pushed the door open quietly. Remus was behind her but was not eager to face Madam Pomfrey who had a habit of asking him if he was okay every time she saw him. He didn't want her asking questions in front of Lily who he feared might be smart enough to figure out his secret. He hesitated outside the door and didn't step inside the room.

"Is there a problem?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she hurried the room to the doorway.

"I've come to see Severus," Lily announced with a glance behind her to where Remus hesitated outside the door. "I'm Lily Evans, I wanted to see he's okay."

"He's not well enough for visitors," Madam Pomfrey said with a shake of her head and a worried glance to where Severus lay in one of the beds. Even from the corridor Remus could see that Severus was a deathly pale colour and he felt a twinge of guilt that he had not gone after James and Sirius to keep a check on them.

"Can't I see him for just a minute?" Lily asked.

"No dear," Madam Pomfrey replied as she steered Lily back out of the door. "Perhaps tomorrow, if he's a little better."

Lily nodded and walked back down the corridor. Remus followed her quietly. He noticed that Madam Pomfrey had not even noticed him, and had not taken the opportunity to remind him about his own condition in her usual vague and secretive way and that in itself told him that she was very worried about Severus.

Lily suddenly stopped a few feet down the corridor and turned back to the door. "Madam Pomfrey," she called out. The nurse stopped and turned back to her.

"Yes?" she asked without enthusiasm; she was clearly eager to return to her patient.

"Can you tell Severus I'll be taking notes for him for his classes?" Lily asked. Remus felt ashamed that he had not thought to make the offer.

"I'll tell him if he wakes up and asks about his classes," Madam Pomfrey compromised. "I don't want him worrying about his school work until he's well."

"Okay," Lily nodded and carried on down the corridor.

"That was kind of you," Remus said as they headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I take a lot of notes for myself anyway," Lily said, blushing slightly.

"Do you think he'll be grateful?" Remus asked, curious to know why Lily was so eager to go out of her way for the Slytherin student who was always so unpleasant to him whenever he had tried to approach him.

"Does it matter?" Lily replied. "I'll do them anyway."

Remus nodded as he became lost in his thoughts. Together they returned to the Gryffindor Tower where James and Sirius were finishing their assignments and helping Peter with his. He wondered whether to tell them about Severus or not. He was still trying to make up his mind when the decision was taken out of his hands by Lily.

At the sight of James and Sirius sitting at one of the tables in the common room Lily's face had suddenly turned as furious as Remus had ever seen it. Marching across the room she stood at the table and glared at James and Sirius until they looked up at her.

"What's up?" Sirius asked as he chewed on the end of his quill.

"Do you know what you've done?" Lily shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Do you know what the pair of you have done?"

"Well I've done my History of Magic essay," James replied with a grin. "Or was it something else you meant?"

"I meant about Severus," Lily yelled.

"What about _Snivellus_?" James asked with a smirk. "Does he want a rematch?"

"He's in the hospital wing?" Lily hissed.

Remus watched as James and Sirius exchanged a look of worry. Maybe they were regretting their actions.

"He's probably putting it on," Peter said. "Looking for sympathy or something."

"He's unconscious," Lily snapped at him. "I don't think he's enjoying the attention he's getting right now."

"Really unconscious?" James asked, with a look of regret on his face.

"Yes," Remus confirmed with a nod. "We've just come back from the hospital wing."

"What were you doing there?" Sirius asked.

"We were showing concern for a friend," Lily snapped with a glare at Sirius. "You might try it some time."

"That's not fair," Sirius pointed out. "Besides _Snivellus_ wouldn't want our concern anyway."

"His name's _Severus_," Lily shouted in fury. "You could start making an effort by using it."

"But _Snivellus _suits him so much better," James replied.

"You're both impossible," Lily said with a shake of her head as she moved away from the table and took a seat in front of the warm fireplace.

Remus sat down at the table and turned to James. "Why did you wind her up like that?" he asked with a glance in Lily's direction.

James shrugged and turned back to his essay.

"Is he really ill?" Sirius asked from across the table.

"He's unconscious and looked awful," Remus said.

"He'll be okay though?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know," Remus admitted. "Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us stay to see him and she looked really worried."

"He'll be okay," James said in a confident tone. "Madam Pomfrey can fix anything. She sorted out our teeth didn't she Peter?"

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "Some muggle-like cold will be easy enough for her to remedy."

"Are you sure about that?" Remus asked. "Not everything has a cure." He knew that better than anyone.

"Do you know if he's told anyone about the duel?" Peter asked, clearly worried about his part in it. Remus looked at Peter, shocked at his selfish question.

"I don't know," he replied. Silently he added to himself that it might teach the three of them a lesson if Severus did tell Madam Pomfrey or one of the professors what had happened.

"Remus?" Lily called from across the room. "Do you still have that catalogue from Diagon Alley?"

"Sure," he nodded. Since the day he had brought it out for the photos of Filch he had been loaning it out to the other first and second year students on a regular basis so that they could order their favourite items from Diagon Alley. He kept a huge supply of order forms for Gambol of Japes joke shop that were always in demand but somehow he doubted that that was what Lily was after.

Standing up he went up to the dormitory and after finding the catalogue he took it down to Lily.

She flicked through the pages until she finally came across the one that she was looking for.

**_Scribbulus Everchanging Inks_**  
_Stationery for all Occasions_

_Parchment, Inks, Quills and Cards available by mail order_

_10 knuts off your first order if you reply by owl before 31 October._

Remus looked over Lily's shoulder to see what it was she was considering ordering. He suspected what she was looking for, as he knew that she had plenty of quills and parchment. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw her point to one of the cards on the page.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked.

Remus looked at the picture of the get well soon card that Lily pointed to. "It's okay," Remus muttered, glancing across to where James was watching him from the table.

"I think it's great," Lily said. "It comes with a spell on it to induce pleasant dreams."

"You want to order it then?" Remus asked. He wondered if he should get one for himself as his own dreams were rarely pleasant. He was thankful the other first year boys were heavy sleepers and he had not yet disturbed their sleep with his recurring nightmares.

"Yes," Lily replied as she started to fill out the form to order the card. "Do you want to sign it when it gets here?"

"That's okay," Remus said with a shake of his head. "I might get him something else instead."

He took back the catalogue as Lily finished filling in the delivery details. Flicking through it he saw another popular shop with the students and scribbled out an order form himself for several boxes of Every Flavour Beans. He wondered if Severus would like them, but suspected he would not accept them if they were from himself. He thought perhaps it might be better to leave the get well gifts to Lily. He could always give her a box and suggest that Severus might like them if they were from her.

That would be better, he reasoned with himself as he headed out of the common room with Lily to send the owls to Diagon Alley with their orders.

Maybe James and Sirius would leave Severus alone now that they had seen what they had done.


	12. Quidditch Fever

**Part Twelve – Quidditch Fever**

A few mornings later Remus came down to the Gryffindor common room to find a crowd of students clustered around the notice board.

"What's going on?" James asked as he came down the stairs behind him.

"Don't know," Remus replied with a shrug as they moved to the back of the crowd and tried to see what it was that had caught the attention of all the Gryffindors.

"It looks like the Quidditch tryouts notice," said Sirius who, being the tallest of the group had the advantage of being able to see a little further over the crowd.

"Let's see if I can get through to see?" suggested Peter, who was the smallest Gryffindor first year.

"Good idea," agreed James as Peter slid his way through the crowd before coming back to report what the notice said.

"You're right Sirius," Peter grinned. "Quidditch tryouts are a week tomorrow."

"How many people are they looking for?" James asked. "I know they are down a keeper this year 'cos Mary Dibble left last term. Are they looking for anyone else?"

"Two chasers and a beater," Peter confirmed.

"They need four players?" Sirius asked with a doubtful look on his face. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," nodded Peter with a grin. "They've had three members of the team leave last year and the fourth is Robbie Marksman."

"But Robbie's still here," James pointed out as he looked around the room for him.

"His parents are making him drop out to concentrate on his NEWTs this year as he only scraped through his OWLs because of the spending so much time practising for the matches."

"Great," grinned James. "With four places open they might even look at us first years."

"You think so?" Remus asked. He knew he wasn't good enough to get on the house team this year but James and Sirius were the best flyers in their year and if anyone could make the team from the first year students it would be them.

"If we practice enough," Sirius said.

"We'll start right after breakfast," James agreed. "It's Saturday anyway so we don't have classes."

Everyone was in agreement and in less than an hour the four of them were outside on the grounds with one of the school's quaffles. They were not the only ones with the same idea and as they approached the Quidditch pitch they could see that several groups of Gryffindors, mainly third years and above, had also decided to spend their Saturday morning practising for the upcoming tryouts.

Splitting into teams of two Remus was paired with Peter and James and Sirius were likewise matched.

Remus knew that he had no real chance of making the team and although Peter had improved a great deal since the start of school he was still rather a poor flyer. James and Sirius however were both very skilled in the air and had soon decided that their best chance of getting on the team was to work together and try to get the two spare chaser positions.

Tossing the ball skilfully to each other, James and Sirius certainly made a great team. Remus and Peter hardly had a chance to touch the quaffle at all.

"This is too easy," James laughed as he caught the quaffle yet again. "We won't make the team like this."

"Well what else can we do to practice?" asked Sirius as he hovered nearby.

"I've got an idea," Peter suggested tentatively as he flew up to where James and Sirius were hovering. Remus followed close behind him.

"We're open to suggestions," Sirius called as he quickly manoeuvred his broom into a particularly difficult roll.

"How about me or Remus cast a few spells to make the weather worse so you can practice in other conditions?"

"Hey, that idea's not bad," James grinned. "Do you two know any weather spells?"

"No," Remus shook his head as Peter nodded.

"Which ones?" Sirius asked Peter. Remus noticed that he sounded a little worried.

"Just a few simple ones," Peter replied with a shrug. "Wind spells mostly and rain too."

"How come you know those?" James asked with a frown. "They're more advanced than first year spells."

"My dad works in the Magical Maintenance Department at the Ministry of Magic," Peter replied. "You know they enchant the windows to show all sorts of weather?"

"Yeah," Sirius nodded.

"Well they have to know how to produce the weather first and then enchant the windows to show it. The bad weather isn't used very often so when they need to use it my dad ends up practising at home before going to work. He was practising just before I came to Hogwarts. I can remember a few of the spells. They're really easy. It's the enchanting the window part that makes it more complicated. But we don't need to worry about that."

"Great!" James grinned. "We can look up more spells later too."

"Shall we get started then?" Sirius asked as he moved away from the others and held out his hand for the quaffle.

Remus followed him to block the pass as James turned to Peter again.

"What spell are you going to use first then?"

"You'll see," Peter smirked as he pulled out his wand and chewed at his lip in concentration.

James tossed the quaffle to Sirius who dived to the left and caught it with ease.

Sirius moved to pass the quaffle back to James as Peter pointed his wand and called out the incantation. "V_entus pulsus oriens._"

A gust of wind swept outward from Peter's wand and James gripped his broom tighter as the cold air tried to unbalance him. Remus dived forward and quickly grabbed at the quaffle as it slipped from James's hand as he struggled to catch it and keep a hold of the broom at the same time.

"Nice one Peter," Sirius called out, raising his voice above the whistle of the wind. "Try another as James tries to get the quaffle from Remus and me."

Peter waited a moment for the wind to die down and once James had moved back into position he called out another incantation. "_Pluvia fluo!_"

A shower of rain appeared at Peter's command and poured down over Sirius and Remus who fought to see to throw the quaffle to each other as the rain fell heavier before finally slowing down. James took advantage of the downpour to snatch the quaffle away and move out of the range of the weather spell that seemed to be contained to a radius of about ten feet.

"I don't suppose your dad had to practice the sunny spells?" Sirius asked as he and Remus moved out of the downpour. Both of them were soaking wet.

"Sorry," Peter shook his head as he tried not to laugh.

"You look a bit damp mate," James howled as he hovered nearby. He had managed to stay relatively dry and soon he and Peter were laughing together at the soggy Sirius and Remus.

"Maybe you we should stick to the wind ones for a while to help us dry off?" Sirius suggested as he shook his long wet hair out of his eyes.

Half an hour later and Peter had whipped up enough wind spells to dry out his friends. Even better, James was finally getting the hang of sticking on his broom through the gusts of wind that were becoming increasingly stronger as Peter continued to conjure up westerly winds and southern breezes. At the requests of both Sirius and Remus he had not tried the rain spell again.

"You know any other spells that might help?" James called out to Peter after he had successfully intercepted the quaffle yet again.

"Just one," Peter yelled back. "But it would be better over by the goal hoops."

James looked across the pitch and saw that a lot of the students who had come out to practice had lost interest or run out of time and had left to return to the school.

"Probably seen how good we are and decided to give up," Sirius said as caught the quaffle from James and dashed off to the other side of the pitch with Remus close behind him.

"So who's going in goal?" Sirius asked.

"I will," replied Remus as he moved into position. He knew he was far better in goal than in any other position on the team.

"Okay," Peter said as he caught up with the others. "Sirius and James can practice scoring, Remus in goal and I'll just make it a bit more interesting once you've had a few shots at the hoops."

"Right," James nodded as Remus successfully blocked Sirius's first shot at the hoops.

A few minutes later Peter called out "_caliga videor_" and Remus watched for the effect. He didn't feel any wind and there was thankfully no rain or, even worse, snow in sight.

Unlike the other spells, this one did not have an instant effect and it took a minute or two before the others realised what it was that Peter's spell had done.

"Mist!" Sirius exclaimed. "Great idea!"

"Makes it much more of a challenge," James agreed as the mist thickened and he struggled to make out the hoops that were starting to disappear from sight. He tossed the quaffle towards the hoops.

"Goal!" he yelled as Remus looked around to see where the quaffle had gone.

They carried on playing for another half an hour as the mist continued to linger around them. They only stopped when they heard the annoyed voice of Madam Hooch from the ground below.

"Everyone on the ground now!" she shouted.

"Uh oh," Sirius frowned. "You think maybe that call might be something to do with us?"

"Probably," Remus agreed.

"Shall we just stay here and wait for her to go back to the school?" James suggested. "She can't see us in the mist now anyway."

"How do you know she can't?" Peter pointed out. "For all we know she could have been up here and seen us before returning to the ground. We wouldn't have noticed her in the mist anyway."

"It'd also make us look guilty too," Sirius pointed out.

"Let's just go down and get it over with," Remus sighed.

"We could just say we don't know anything about it," James said. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"All the magic around the school, it stands to reason it might produce some freaky weather."

Remus followed the other down towards the ground. They were still around ten feet from the ground when the mist ended. He hit the ground and looked back up. The mist hovered around the hoops but was nowhere else on the pitch. There was no chance that Madam Hooch would believe they had nothing to do with the appearance of the mist. There was also the problem that all the other students seemed to have gone back to the school. It made suspects rather thin on the ground.

"Potter, Black, wands please," Madam Hooch ordered as soon as they approached her.

James handed over his wand without question.

"_Prior Incantato_," Madam Hooch commanded.

Remus watched with the others as the wand showed the last spell it had been used for. Nothing incriminating appeared as it merely showed the spell James had been practising for their Charms assignment the previous evening.

"_Deletrius," _Madam Hooch said to remove the image that had been produced. She handed his wand back and turned to Sirius who handed his own wand over without question. The spell produced the same effect on Sirius's wand as it had on James's. No surprise there as they had all been practising together. Madam Hooch handed the wand back before putting out her hand for Remus's wand. He handed it over, knowing that the effect would be the same for his. Sure enough the wand did not mark him as the culprit.

"I guess it must have been one of the fourth years who ran from the pitch when I arrived," Madam Hooch muttered with a glance at Peter.

Remus looked at Peter too, and saw that he had an expression of innocence on his face as Madam Hooch went off in pursuit of the missing fourth years.

"That was lucky," Sirius whispered.

"Lucky Peter's usually so bad at getting his spells right," James nodded as they headed back to the school. The mist behind them was clearing and they knew they could not risk doing any more similar spells now that Madam Hooch was around.

"I notice she immediately thought to blame us two and not Remus or Peter," Sirius muttered. "Anyone would think we're troublemakers."

"You are," laughed Remus. "Peter stood there looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, no wonder she didn't check his wand."

"It's a natural talent," Peter laughed as they put away their brooms and the quaffle.

Laughing together they all headed back to the common room. James and Sirius were confident they at least stood a chance at the upcoming tryouts and were trying to persuade Remus to try out too.

"They're not looking for a seeker though," Remus pointed out, knowing instinctively that that was the position on the team that he was best suited to. "Maybe in a couple of years when that position's open."

"You can still try out though," James pressed on.

"I'll see," Remus shrugged as they headed towards the Great Hall to get something to eat. "Wonder what's for lunch."

"You've got to try out," James argued, oblivious to Remus's attempts to steer the subject away from the tryouts.

"Okay, okay," Remus finally agreed. Satisfied, James headed into the Great Hall and sat down next to Sirius.

It would be nice to try out, Remus thought as he took his seat. It was just a pity that the tryouts were the day before the full moon and he would be unable to join his friends whether he wanted to or not. And despite the fact that he knew he was not good enough for the team yet, he wanted nothing more than to be able to join in the fun and try out for the team with the others.

* * *

_Author Notes: I don't know how the windows at the Ministry of Magic are enchanted. There is little information available about that. I decided to use this method for purposes of the story. I realise it is probably incorrect so there's no need for anyone to point that particular bit out to me. It needed to be like this to work for the story._


	13. Sacrifices

**Part Thirteen - Sacrifices**

For the next week Remus tried to share the enthusiasm of his friends as the tryouts for the Quidditch team approached. If only the tryouts had been at any other time.

He was still trying to think of a way to attend the tryouts as he tackled the latest task in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class.

"Remus Lupin, are you feeling quite well?" Professor McGonagall's Scottish lilt carried throughout the classroom towards the end of the lesson and Remus felt his face redden as the rest of the class turned to him.

"You're looking a little flushed," she continued when he failed to answer. "Perhaps you'd better stay behind after class and I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"But the other classes?" Remus asked, finally finding his tongue.

"I'm sure Mr Potter can let them know where you are. Can't you?"

James nodded in response, as he looked at Remus in concern.

"That's settled then. Your friends can take notes for you until you rejoin them."

Remus nodded as everyone began to gather their books and file out of the classroom.

"Hope you're feeling better soon," James said as he stood up to leave. "Can't have you ill for the tryouts."

Remus nodded as he gave him a weak smile and picked up his own books. Once the classroom was empty of students he turned to the Professor in front of him.

"These are the notes from your classes for this afternoon and also those you'll miss on Monday," Professor McGonagall said as she handed him several parchments. "Not that I don't think your friends will take notes, but this way you have them to study over the weekend."

"What about notes for Tuesday morning's Transfiguration class?" Remus asked as he looked through the parchments.

"There aren't any," Professor McGonagall explained with a rare smile. "I'm going to surprise the class with a little test that morning. You get to miss it though."

Remus smiled at his good fortune, before remembering exactly why he would be missing the test. Despite not being particularly fond of the tests that some teachers gave every few weeks, he would still rather be taking a test than suffering the transformation in the house on the edge of Hogsmeade.

"What about the Quidditch tryouts?" Remus asked, remembering the one thing he didn't want to miss.

"I'm sorry," Professor McGonagall sighed with a shake of her head. "You won't be able to take part in them this time."

"I won't have changed yet," Remus pointed out, disappointment evident in his voice.

"I know dear," Professor McGonagall agreed. "But you know that this month, since it falls on a Monday and you won't miss classes over the weekend, the story we are telling everyone is that you're ill. You can't recover in the afternoon for the tryouts and then disappear again the next day."

"But you're head of Gryffindor. Can't you move the tryouts?"

"I'm sorry Remus," Professor McGonagall said with a shake of her head. "If you were in the third year I might consider it. But first years never really make the house team anyway. Maybe next year. I'm sorry but you'll have to spend the weekend in the staff quarters until I take you down to the tunnel."

"The staff quarters?"

"I'm afraid Madam Pomfrey has her hands full with Severus Snape in the hospital wing. She isn't able to leave him, so I'm going to take you down to the tunnel this month too. We didn't think it wise for you to be in the hospital wing playing sick with other students there."

Remus nodded in agreement.

"So I'll take you to the staff room now and you'll stay there for the weekend. There are a few spare rooms in the staff wing so you'll have plenty of space and privacy. You've plenty of notes to read through so you'll be nice and busy. Do you have any books you might like to collect from Gryffindor Tower to read? If so we'd better get them now whilst your classmates are still in their lessons."

"Yes please," Remus said.

"Very well, let's go fetch them," Professor McGonagall swept past him with a consoling smile. Remus followed behind her as he wondered whether there was any way in which he could persuade her to let him try out for the team.

Remus spent the rest of the afternoon reading through the notes for the classes that he was missing. He soon found that reading through the notes was far more boring than being in the class with his friends. He read through the notes for his potions class and tried to imagine the results but it just wasn't the same as being able to see it for himself.

Professor McGonagall had tried to make him feel slightly better about his isolation from the other students by comparing the room he would be using to that of the head boy who also had a private room at Hogwarts. Remus hadn't said anything to the Professor who he had known was only trying to make him feel better, but he knew that being isolated away because he was a danger to the others was entirely different to having the privilege of your own room. He wasn't even sure he would want to be head boy and have his own room. The thing he loved most about being at Hogwarts was the fact that he was amongst friends and he loved sharing a room with the other boys in his year. He didn't want to be isolated. He just wanted to be a part of things. There was always talk of midnight parties and adventures they would have. Although they had not finalised their plans James was determined to have at least one midnight party before the end of the year. Remus fervently hoped that the night James chose was not one where he would be locked away and unable to join in the fun.

By the time he had finished reading the notes and started working on the assignments the Professors had set out for him Remus was starting feel distinctly hungry. It was only then that he realised that he had failed to ask about how he would get his meals. He looked at the clock on the mantelpiece and wondered if he had been forgotten about. There was no sign of any of the Professors returning from the classes. Professor McGonagall had told him that he would have the room to himself for the afternoon. Most of the members of staff were teaching, and the few that weren't often chose Friday afternoon to go to Hogsmeade and begin the weekend early.

The clock ticked on and he wondered again if he had been overlooked. He knew his friends would notice his absence but they wouldn't think to bring him food to the staff room. If they looked for him in the infirmary Madam Pomfrey would send them on their way and she would certainly not tell them where he was.

Remus began to pace the room a little as he wondered whether he should leave the staff wing and find something to eat himself. He knew he couldn't go to the Great Hall but surely it would be okay for him to go the kitchens? The school house elves weren't likely to tell tales on him. He knew the way into the kitchens. Sirius had shown him, James and Peter how to get into them. He had wryly commented that it was useful in some respects to have a family that was in Slytherin House. As the house of the bad wizards it was not unexpected that they knew a fair bit about getting around the school and getting into places that they were not really supposed to. Sirius had found out about lots of little tricks for getting around the school, including the painting of the fruit that concealed the entrance to the kitchens.

Remus chewed his lip as he considered whether to go or not. All of the other students were in the Great Hall. He wasn't likely to be seen if he were to go to the kitchens. It wasn't too far and he was getting very hungry. Normally by now Peter would have shared some of his sweets from home during the break between the final class and the evening meal. Remus wished he had had the foresight to carry a snack with him to eat now. It was something to remember for future full moon weeks.

"Five more minutes," Remus muttered as he looked at the clock again. "If no one's here in five more minutes, I'll go to the kitchens."

The minutes ticked by and still no one came through the door.

Five minutes passed and Remus stood at the door, his hand poised to open it. He hesitated a minute more and stuck his head out of the door. There was no one to be seen in the corridor.

Making his decision, Remus shut the door behind him and hurried down the corridor towards the staircase that led towards the entrance to the kitchens.

Before too long Remus was at the portrait of the fruit. He tickled the pear and stood back as the portrait swung open to let him in. It was only after he was in the kitchen and surrounded by house elves that he thought how lucky he was that no one else was in the kitchen. He knew that the students would all be in the hall. But what if a teacher had been in the kitchen supervising the elves. Some of them were always coming and going during meal times, he had just never considered where they disappeared to. He breathed a sigh of relief that the room was clear of everyone except the house elves.

Within five minutes Remus was loaded down with enough food to keep him well fed for not only that evening but most of the weekend as well. They had also been careful to fetch him extra portions of his favourites. Remus grinned at the bounty they had placed in his arms and after thanking the elves he stuck his head out of the entrance, checked the way back was clear, and returned to the staff wing.

Remus had hurried through the school as fast as he could and had only been away from the staff room for about fifteen minutes and most of that time had been spent in the kitchen itself. He only slowed down his pace once he was safely within the corridors of the staff wing. He'd made it!

Opening the door, Remus stepped into the staff room and looked up in horror at the stern and frowning face of Professor McGonagall who, it was clear to see, had also been to the kitchens.

The table was laid out for the two of them. Half of the table was covered with Remus's favourite foods and the other half with what he guessed to be Professor McGonagall's favourites.

"Well I see there's no need to ask where you've been," she said in an icy tone as her gaze swept over Remus's acquisitions. "I've been saying for years that the entrance to the kitchen is too well known amongst the students. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I came in here to find you gone?"

"I thought-"

"No you didn't think at all Remus Lupin. You didn't think that anyone could've seen you wandering the corridors and that your story would have been shown to be a lie. Do you have any idea how much trouble Professor Dumbledore has gone to, to get you into Hogwarts this year?"

"Yes Professor."

"And how much trouble your parents have gone to? Not to mention the expense of building the tunnel and securing the house for you. Everyone has had to make sacrifices to get you into Hogwarts and you must stick to the rules we laid out for you. You can't go running around the school and risk being seen like this. I know it's not easy for you but if you want to be a part of the school you'll have to make some sacrifices yourself and one of those is not always being able to be with the other students. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall. I'm sorry," Remus whispered, knowing that nothing could excuse his actions. He had been critical of James and Sirius on occasions but even when they had been caught getting into their worst mischief they had not incurred the wrath that Professor McGonagall was now displaying.

Eventually Professor McGonagall calmed down and waved a hand towards the table. Remus thought for a moment she was going to vanish the food as punishment before realising that she was in fact only directing him to sit down to eat.

"Are you sure no one saw you?" Professor McGonagall asked as she took her seat opposite him.

"Pretty sure," Remus replied, hoping that no one had spotted him from behind without him seeing.

"I want your promise you will stay in the staff wing for the rest of the weekend, right up until I take you to the tunnel."

"I promise," Remus whispered as he looked at the food before him. Somehow after all that he seemed to have lost his appetite. Or at least almost, he amended as his stomach let out a loud growl that brought a smile to the stern Professor's face.

"Well you'd better eat something Mr Lupin or else the students might hear your stomach growling in the Great Hall and then your cover will really be blown."

Remus smiled in response. He knew that it wasn't going to be an easy weekend, especially when he could see the Quidditch pitch from the window, but at least now he was assured that Professor McGonagall would be making sure he was fed.


	14. Catching Up

**Part Fourteen – Catching Up **

When Remus returned to the school after the full moon had passed he made sure that this time there were no cuts or bruises showing that would draw suspicion to where he had been. Madam Pomfrey had given him enough potions to ensure that he would not run out of them whilst treating the cuts himself. She and the Professors had thought it better if Remus did not have too many follow up trips to the Hospital Wing in case there were other students in there and rumours started.

He was storing the potions in his trunk at the end of his bed when he heard the sounds of his fellow Gryffindors returning to the tower. He was just securing the trunk when James, Sirius and Peter burst into the room with wide grins on their faces. He hoped he didn't look guilty as he turned to greet them.

"Remus, you're back with us. Great!" James called out as his grin widened. "We were starting to think _Snivellus_ was right and you were really ill."

"What?" Remus asked, confused as to where Severus would have got such an idea.

"He said you weren't in the hospital wing," Peter explained. "We thought you might have been taken to Saint Mungo's or something."

"And Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us see you," James added with a frown. "Not even for a minute."

"Knew the little git was lying," Sirius crowed. "He probably just wanted to make us worry as revenge for losing the duel."

"Like his stunt with the broom wasn't enough," James replied in an unusually sulky tone. "I just hope none of the Quidditch team were watching when he jinxed my broom."

"Severus did what?" Remus asked, his jaw dropping with surprise. "You mean during the tryouts for the team?"

"No, thank goodness," James replied with a shake of his head. "It was in class on Monday morning. He pulled some sort of stunt to make my broom all slippery and we lost ten house points because of it."

"At least he lost ten points for Slytherin too," Peter pointed out with a shrug.

"I guess," James nodded. "And at least it wasn't during the tryouts."

"How did the tryouts go?" Remus asked, eager to change the subject away from the war being waged between James and Severus.

"They were great," James enthused. "I managed to score twice. Only three of all those who tried out managed to score more than once."

"What about you Sirius?" Remus asked turning to him.

"I scored one," he grinned. "But so did most of the others who tried out. I think their keeper was having an off day."

"Well he was a stand-in, he's normally a chaser," James pointed out generously. "Mary was a tough act to follow. She hardly let anything past her last year."

"What about you Peter?"

"I didn't try out as a chaser," he replied. "I tried out for beater instead."

"He didn't do too bad either," James praised him as Peter flushed with pleasure. "But there were a lot more trying out as beaters and some of them had a lot of body weight which will count in their favour. Peter's just a bit too small. I told you, you should have tried out for keeper."

"Being small isn't too good for keepers either though. Besides, I don't want to be a keeper, I want to be a seeker," Peter pointed out with a shrug. "Being small is an advantage then so I can stay out the way of the bludgers."

"Well the team seeker is only in fifth year at the moment so maybe in a couple of years time," Remus suggested. "We might end up competing against each other for that position then."

"Pity you missed these tryouts though," Sirius said. "You sure you're okay? You still look a bit pale."

Remus dropped his gaze from the concerned look on his friend's face and mumbled that he was still feeling a bit off but a lot better than he had been. It wasn't entirely a lie he reasoned. He always felt a bit off before and after the full moon and the change itself was so awful he had had nightmares about it throughout his life, ever since the very first time the pain of the change had taken over him.

"So what else have I missed?" he asked, as he steered the subject away from his health again.

"There's a thief here," Peter informed him with wide eyes glancing towards the door, almost as if he expected the same to walk in on them.

"In Gryffindor?" Remus asked in surprise.

"Might be," James said. "But more likely in Slytherin."

"What's been taken?"

"One of the school cups," Sirius whispered. "Dumbledore gave a speech at the weekend about it. He thought it might be a prank but so far no one has owned up to it."

"Bit of a rubbish prank," James snorted. "It's not exactly amusing to steal something from the school."

"Aren't the cups protected?" Remus asked as he tried to recall what he had read about the school the summer before.

"Yeah," James nodded. "All sorts of spells protect the cabinets in the trophy room."

"Wonder how they did it," Sirius commented thoughtfully.

"You think it's more than one person?" Remus asked.

"Don't know," Sirius shrugged. "But one things for sure, Dumbledore is determined to find out who it was and has promised to expel the culprit."

"Looks like I missed a lot in the last few days," Remus said with a sigh he could not hold back. He had only been isolated from his fellow students twice so far and already he was missing all the action.

"You missed Sirius being bothered by his relatives too," Peter informed him.

"It's nothing," Sirius brushed off the comment.

"It's not nothing," James pointed out. "Bellatrix has been dogging your footsteps all week and making threats."

"She won't do anything," Sirius insisted, though Remus thought he sounded a lot less sure of himself than he normally did.

"You don't know that," Peter said. "She's determined to get you on side for whatever she has planned."

"She probably hasn't got anything planned at all," Sirius laughed, though to Remus's ears it sounded hollow and forced.

"Have you heard from you family yet?" Remus asked, curious to know whether the initial shock over his being sorted into Gryffindor had worn off yet.

"My mother wrote to say she'd written to Dumbledore asking I be moved to Slytherin."

"Dumbledore won't move you," James reassured him. "He leaves the sorting to the Sorting Hat, he won't interfere with where it put you."

"You don't know that," Sirius muttered. "The Blacks are used to getting what they want, and they want me to be in Slytherin."

"But _you're_ a Black too," Remus pointed out. "And you want to stay in Gryffindor."

"This is what we've been telling him," James pointed out as Peter nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but I'm just one Black and I'm up against the lot of them," Sirius snapped before he jumped up and turned away from the others.

"Not quite all," Peter called. "Andromeda will be on your side."

"Fat lot of use that'll be against the almighty Black family," Sirius muttered as he rummaged through his trunk. "Here, see for yourselves."

Remus looked at the well worn letter that Sirius held in his thrust out hand.

No one moved to take it so Remus leaned forward to accept the same. Amidst the usual instructions about working hard and behaving himself there was one paragraph that sprang out at him as he read the letter.

_I don't blame you for the mistake that occurred during the Sorting this year. The family has long said that the sorting was rather an outdated method of dividing the school. I have written to Dumbledore and instructed him to remedy the error immediately. The rest of the family are doing likewise. Rest assured you will soon be where you belong, with the rest of your family, in Slytherin House._

"You think I've got a chance against that sort of campaign?" Sirius asked as Remus handed the letter back.

"Dumbledore won't be pushed about by a single family," James said. "No campaign would be enough to make him bend the rules for you."

Sirius didn't look convinced as he balled the letter up in his fist and threw it across the room.

Remus looked at the letter where it fell. Anything was better than looking at his friends. Although he hated it, silently he had to agree with Sirius because he knew that one family could be made to sway Dumbledore into altering the rules for a single student.

He was sure that no other Headmaster would have been prepared to bend the rules for Remus to let him attend the school.

No other Headmaster would have been prepared to risk his job by allowing a werewolf to attend the school.

But Remus's family had stood up for his right to a Hogwarts education and they had waged their own campaign on his behalf.

His family had done precisely what James was adamant no single family could do. They had got the Headmaster of Hogwarts to alter the rules for their son. No matter what James said, it was possible for one family to persuade the Headmaster to bend the rules. What worried Remus was that if his family could do that, who was to say that Sirius's family couldn't do the same thing and persuade Dumbledore to move Sirius into Slytherin house?


	15. Escalating Hostilities

**Part Fifteen – Escalating Hostilities**

For the rest of the week Remus spent his time getting back into the routine of being in the main school again. He found that this time he was not as self conscious as he had been the previous month and other than the difficulty of keeping his self inflicted injuries hidden he found he could manage to put aside the worries of his isolation from the rest of his classmates. He thought it probably helped that he was far from the only student to have spent time in the hospital wing whilst very few students went home during the school year. Although he didn't like the idea of lying and pretending to be ill, he found that was far preferable to fabricating a crisis within his family.

Remus soon noticed that Sirius was right when it came to his family and it soon seemed that Bellatrix Black was turning up on a regular basis.

On his second morning back with the school she turned up outside of the Great Hall as they were going into breakfast.

"Have you heard from your mum yet, Sirius?" she called out as they approached the door.

Sirius had given a non-committal shrug in response and hurried inside to sit at the Gryffindor table.

"Just ignore her," James advised as he opened a parcel that his new owl had just delivered. "Hey, look at this lot!"

Remus looked over to see what it was that James had received that had caused such excitement. His face broke into a grin at the box of tricks that his father appeared to have sent him.

"Now why can't my parents send me stuff like that?" Sirius asked as he pulled out a fake wand with a label telling how it would misfire any spell back on the person holding the wand. "Who do you think we should give this to?"

James didn't reply as he pulled out another box. "And Every Flavour Beans too," he grinned. "They must have known we'd run out."

"Not much of a stretch of the imagination considering how much you eat," Remus retorted with a grin. A moment later he had to duck to avoid one of the sweets that came flying across the table from James, who was already cramming one of the sweets into his mouth before handing them around the table.

"Yuck," Sirius scowled as he chewed on his choice. "Spinach."

Remus grinned as he took a sweet himself. "Fudge," he smirked as he tasted the creamy flavour.

"Pity you can't tell what's gonna be what," Peter said around his own choice which from the look on his face was not a particularly nice one. "We could give the horrible ones to the Slytherins and keep the best for ourselves."

Remus sighed as once again the rivalry between the two houses came into discussion. He didn't see why everyone couldn't just get along instead of constantly trying to outdo the other houses. This time though he kept quiet. He had learned already that this had been the way of the school for centuries and it was not going to be changing any time soon.

He at least thought that things weren't getting any worse between his friends and Severus Snape. Other than the occasional bit of name calling there had been no further problems between them. Apart from their report about the incident in the flying lesson they had made no mention of the other student. Remus wondered if perhaps they were going to let things go and just leave him alone.

He decided not to bring the matter up with the others and to leave things alone. Besides which he knew that between practising Quidditch - he knew they still hoped to get on the team and thought showing continued enthusiasm now that tryouts were over would help - and avoiding Bellatrix, James and Sirius had more than enough to keep them busy.

It was two weeks after his second full moon of the school year that Remus realised that things were not going to remain calm for as long as he had hoped.

They were on their way to the library to read up for their transfiguration and potions assignments when once again Bellatrix Black appeared around the corner.

"Sirius, there you are," she called out in greeting.

"I thought you said she was going to Hogsmeade?" James whispered.

"She usually does," Sirius hissed back as he glared at his cousin. "Hogsmeade losing its appeal already?"

"Hardly," Bellatrix replied with a fake smile. "I'm just heading there now. I just wondered if you'd heard from home yet?"

"No," Sirius snapped as he moved to get past her. But even though he was one of the tallest students in the year Bellatrix was older and slightly faster than he was as she stepped to the side and blocked his path.

"How many times are we going to have this discussion," Bellatrix hissed as she grabbed his arm in a pincer like grip. "You can play at being a Gryffindor all you like but when it comes right down to it, you're Slytherin though and through. All the Blacks are."

"Sirius isn't," Peter pointed out from where he stood beside Remus.

"Stay out of this runt!" Bellatrix ordered with a sharp glare in his direction. Remus watched as Peter blanched and clearly thought better about interfering. James on the other hand had no such second thoughts and stepped right in between Bellatrix and Sirius.

"Leave him alone and get lost," he told her in a slightly bored tone. "How many times are we going to have to tell you to do that?"

"Are you mocking me?" Bellatrix asked in astonishment.

"Too right I am," James answered as he stuck out his index finger and jabbed it harshly into her shoulder.

Bellatrix reacted with lightening speed as she pulled out her wand and thrust it into James's face.

"You stay out of this," she ordered as she waved her wand menacingly in front of him. "This is family business and nothing to do with you."

James reacted with a speed that matched her own as he pulled out his own wand. Unlike Bellatrix, however he did not bother to wave it around for effect. He merely spoke the incantation that they had used whilst practising Quidditch. The gust of wind that sprang from his wand turned the corridor into a veritable wind tunnel. Bellatrix took the full force of the spell as she found herself flying off of her feet and down the corridor, much to the delight of the rest of the Gryffindors who stood behind James and safe from the stormy wind he had whipped up.

Remus and Peter held onto each other as they roared with laughter. James stood in the corridor bowing his audience. Even Sirius was laughing although unlike the others his laughter soon died down. Once Remus had recovered enough he realised what Sirius had already realised, Bellatrix would be sure to make them pay for this.

"Let's get to the library quickly," Remus suggested as he steered his friends down the corridor to the library and away from the windswept Slytherin who was even now descending on them.

The sound of a voice behind them calling out to Bellatrix to hurry up was the signal that they were safe for the moment and they carried on to the library.

"Just try and ignore her," James advised Sirius who was frowning hard as they approached the library.

"Bit difficult to when she's in the same school and determined to plague me," Sirius replied.

"If she keeps it up, we'll have to do something about her," James considered.

"She's just Slytherin scum," Peter added. "Not worth getting into trouble over."

Remus voiced his agreement as they walked through the library doors and placed their books on one of the free tables and settled down to work. They had barely opened their books when the door opened again and Lily, Veronica and Severus Snape walked into the room. Remus ducked his head back down and hoped that Sirius and James would leave the boy alone. He was obviously coming to the library to study, just like they were. Unfortunately it was not to be.

Despite James's advice to ignore Bellatrix he had no such advice at the sight of Severus.

"More Slytherin scum," he muttered as he watched Severus sit down at a nearby desk.

"Too right," Sirius agreed.

"Hey guys," Remus interrupted. "I'm having trouble with this transfiguration essay. Do you have notes from the class I missed the other week?"

"Sure," James replied as he rifled through his scattered notes. Remus slid his own notes from Professor McGonagall out of sight as he let James go through the class with him.

"I didn't realise you were taking that much notice in class," Sirius joked.

"I don't usually," James grinned. "But I knew Remus would want to know everything he'd missed when he got back."

"Thanks," Remus replied, while slightly embarrassed at the thoughtfulness his friend had shown.

Trouble seemed to have been averted and he began to relax as they all carried on working on their assignments.

He was lost in trying to figure out the difference between the effects of a reducing spell and a shrinking solution and did not notice that he was now alone at the table. He looked about the room and saw right away that his friends had disappeared. At first he thought that they had gone to fetch a book but he quickly realised that they were in the Defence Against the Dark Arts section of the library. They had all finished their assignments for that class the day before. There was only one reason they would all be congregating in that section.

Severus Snape.

He watched as Sirius, who was facing in his direction, snapped up a book from the top shelf. Leaning forward slightly he looked around James, who was stood with his back to him, and saw that his guess had been correct and Severus was indeed standing between the two taller boys. He sighed slightly and looked towards the table Severus had been working at. They were all engrossed in their work and not taking any notice of their friend who was standing several aisles away across the other side of the room. He looked towards Madam Pince's desk but she too hadn't noticed the trouble starting.

He knew he couldn't go and tell tales on his friends. He watched as Sirius flipped through the pages of the book that Severus obviously wanted.

Severus stepped back and right into James who he obviously hadn't spotted creeping up behind him. Remus was half out of his seat when Severus bumped into Sirius too.

"Careful there _Snivellus_" he heard Sirius advise. "You don't want to _trip_ do you?"

Remus sat back down as he realised that all they were going to do was trip him up. He recalled their first day when Severus had done the same to them. It wasn't too bad. It wasn't worth risking upsetting his friends to back up Severus when that was all they were going to do to him.

He turned back to his book but could not concentrate on it and continued to glance in the direction of his friends. He caught Severus's eye and thought for a moment the other boy was going to ask him for help. But he remained silent and Remus turned back to his book whilst silently hoping his friends would get on with whatever it was they had planned.

He sat silently as he watched Severus fall backwards over the outstretched leg of Peter who had moved into position at the other end of the aisle.

"Okay, he's fallen now," Remus muttered under his breath. "Now leave him alone and come back to the table before you make things worse."

His silent plea went unanswered and he watched as Severus scrambled out of their way only to find himself trapped against the door to the restricted section of the library.

His three friends surrounded Severus as he stood with his back to the door.

"You wouldn't dare," he heard Severus hiss at his friends.

"Oh they would," Remus breathed as he turned in his seat and started to gather all their belongings together. He had a suspicion they were going to be making a hasty exit from the library today.

He heard Sirius command the lock to the restricted section to open and a moment later there was a thud and the sound of screams echoing through the room.

For one horrible moment he thought the screams were Severus himself but on turning around he realised that it was in fact the books that were screaming loudly and eerily through the cavernous room. Severus was laying on the floor as he tried to close the books that had fell around him. Remus could see that he had fallen as the door had opened and he had dislodged various volumes from the shelves nearest the doorway.

Severus struggled to close the book as James, Sirius and Peter quickly moved back towards Remus and grabbed their belongings.

"Good thinking, Remus," James said with a grin when he saw their things were already packed away and ready for them.

They moved towards the door quickly as Madam Pince hurried past them towards the sound of the ruckus.

"Let's go to Gryffindor Tower to work," Sirius said once the noise had died down a little. "It's too noisy in here."

Remus rolled his eyes at his theatrics and hurried his friends out of the room. He cast one last look in Severus's direction and saw that he was trying to pick himself up and explain himself to the furious Madam Pince.

He also spotted the angry face of Lily Evans as she and her friends also hurried across the room to see what was happening.

Remus didn't know which of the two looked to be the more furious.

"That'll teach the Slytherin scum," James said after they had settled down back in the common room.

"It's not Severus's fault Bellatrix is being a pain," Remus pointed out reasonably.

"They're all as bad as each other," James replied.

"You don't think that maybe we're sinking to their level by picking on Severus?" Remus asked quietly.

Sirius and James exchanged a glance and Sirius rubbed the back of his neck and looked away as James ducked his head.

"Maybe Remus has a point," Sirius agreed. "It's not going to stop Bellatrix hassling me."

"We only tripped him up a couple of times," James said reasonably. "It won't do him any real harm."

"I guess not," Remus replied. He knew it was about as close as he was going to get to persuading them to back off.

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt however at the return of the older Gryffindors from Hogsmeade.

"…the most haunted house in Britain," he heard Robbie Marksman say as he came into the room with several of his friends.

"What's that?" James called out.

"There's rumours about a new house in Hogsmeade, they're saying that it's the most haunted building in Britain," explained a girl Remus recognised as a fifth year student named Sally. 

"How can a new house be haunted?" Sirius asked, clearly sceptical.

"Don't know, maybe the builders disturbed something," Robbie replied as he took a seat by the fire. "No one's living in it at the moment and the rumours say the haunting has scared the new owners away already. They never even properly moved in."

Remus felt slightly sick as he realised that the house they were talking about was the one he was sequestered in one a month. The place wasn't the most accommodating but he sincerely hoped it wasn't haunted. With his luck it would be one of the school ghosts taking a vacation from the grounds or something and within days he would be the talk of the school and his secret would be out. 

"So no one's ever heard of a ghost in the area before, and no one's living there at the moment…so how do you know it's haunted?" Peter asked.

"Because the villagers keep hearing howling and wailing at night. Been happening for a while now," Sally said.

Remus felt his stomach do another flip as he realised the villagers had been hearing him in the house.

"They're calling it the Shrieking Shack," Robbie said. "Some of us are thinking of going to check it out at night."

"You mean sneak out?" James asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Robbie replied with an enthusiastic smile. "You want to come along?"

Remus listened in growing horror as James and the others took delight in the thought of sneaking out to the house. He nodded weakly in agreement as they included him in their plans, not knowing that he was far more involved in their haunting adventure than they realised.


	16. Midnight Escapade

**Part Sixteen – Midnight Escapade **

Remus felt as if his head had only just touched the pillow when he felt someone prodding him in the arm and urging him to wake.

A bleary glance towards the window confirmed that his first assumption had been correct. It was the middle of the night and James stood over him with a wide grin on his face.

"Come on then," he whispered as he pulled at Remus's arm. "We're going ghost hunting in the Shrieking Shack.

Remus sat up in bed and looked across the room to where Peter was getting dressed in his outdoor robes. Sirius was just staggering out of bed too. Neither he nor Remus were happy unless they had a full night's sleep. But the lure of adventure with some of the older students was enough of an incentive to be up and about when the rest of the students were tucked up safe in their beds.

Remus got out of bed and was soon downstairs in the common room with the others who were joining them on the midnight escapade.

He breathed a sigh of relief that they were not going to be investigating the house on a full moon. No one amongst the students had realised the noises were from a young werewolf and they had picked a random night to go and investigate. He felt foolish for his worries that they would be seeking him out when he was there. Of course he was only there for the full moons and most of the month the house was merely a deserted building.

Robbie had taken charge of the outing and was busy bossing around the younger students as to how they would go about getting out of Hogwarts. Remus was relieved to hear that they would not be visiting the house by way of the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow. He knew that no one was supposed to know about it but until now had been worrying that someone had seen him slipping in or out of the tunnel at the full moon.

Besides Remus and his friends, Robbie had also encouraged three others to join the party. One of them was Ben, his brother in the second year, the other two were sixth year girls: Sarah Pinkney his girlfriend and her friend Eliza Matterson. No one else had been particularly enthusiastic about sneaking out on the cold night to go wandering all the way to Hogsmeade and back.

"Just remember to do exactly as I say and no one will be hurt or lost," Robbie whispered in an authoritative tone as he opened the door out of the common room.

"Did you bring it?" he heard Sirius whisper to James as he followed behind them.

"Yes, shhh," he replied as they left the confines of the tower.

They were a quiet party as they slid out of Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady had given them a disapproving look as they left but they knew that she would remain quiet about the jaunt unless she was asked directly by one of the Professors. The students knew by now that she was more annoyed at being disturbed than disapproving of their behaviour.

In what seemed like no time at all they were outside in the grounds of Hogwarts and Remus felt the enthusiasm of his friends becoming contagious and soon his unfounded worries about them discovering his secret were far from his mind.

The night was typically cold but dry. Every sound they made as they trod on fallen leaves seemed to echo in the night and every one of the party looked back to the school each time they trod on a twig, half expecting one of the Professors to appear and drag them before Professor Dumbledore.

With giggles and whispers they made their way out of the grounds to the Shrieking Shack.

"It doesn't look that scary," Eliza said as she peered in one of the dirty windows. "I don't see any ghost."

"We'll have to go in and see what we can find," Robbie announced.

"I think we should split up and search the place," James suggested as Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Robbie nodded. "We'll split into groups and take it a floor at a time."

"Me and James 'll take the ground floor," Sirius offered. "You with us Remus?"

"Sure," Remus replied. "You with us Peter?"

"Peter can come with me and Sarah," Robbie interrupted, much to the delight of Peter who had been discussing Robbie's Quidditch highlights for much of the walk over to the house. "Ben and Eliza can take the top floor. We'll take the first, okay?"

"How are we going to get inside?" Ben asked with a frown as he tried to push open the door without success.

"It must be barred up real tight," Robbie said with a grunt as he too couldn't move the door even enough to let air in, let alone eight students.

Sealed with magic, Remus thought. A normal door was not strong enough to stop the force of a trapped werewolf. It would have to have been magically sealed. He looked at the windows and saw immediately that one of them was open.

He felt ill at ease at the thought that he could have got out of the building with ease through that window at the last full moon. Surely it couldn't have been open then? He tried to remember but his memories as a werewolf were foggy at best, just images for the most part, and he couldn't recall if the window had been shut or not.

He made a point to remember to ask Madam Pomfrey to ensure all the windows were shut when she next escorted him to the house.

"What about that window?" he said to the others when he realised that they had not spotted it. He pointed to the open window and watched delighted grins spread over the faces of the others.

"Great!" Robbie exclaimed and hurried over to look inside. "It's clear on the other side," he said as he started to climb in.

The rest of the group followed him through the window and were soon all congregating in the main room on the ground floor.

"Looks like someone's been squatting here," Peter commented and pointed to the food that was on the table against the wall.

"Whoever it was didn't like the food much," James laughed. "Look at the mess on the floor."

Remus looked down and was thankful for the darkness that hid his flushed face. Pieces of fruit and the remains of a pie were scattered across the floor. As a boy before the change he had tucked into the food that had been left for him. As a werewolf it had been unappetising and he had scattered what was left to the four corners of the room.

"Let's split up then," Robbie said as he moved towards the stairs. "Yell out if you need us to come help you out," he joked as he disappeared out of sight. "We know you first years are jumpy."

Remus waited for James or Sirius to make a smart comment in return but for once they were silent.

"Where do you want to look first then?" he asked as he wandered through to one of the other rooms. He made sure that it was one of the rooms that was at the opposite end of the house to the entrance to the tunnel.

"We'll just have a quick look round and then wait for the others," James said, much to Remus's surprise.

"You don't sound very excited at finding a ghost," Remus commented with a frown. "I thought you'd be hunting in every corner for one."

"With all the ghosts at Hogwarts," James laughed. "Besides, we've got a better idea."

Remus saw the look pass between James and Sirius and watched as James removed his outdoor robe to show the second one he was wearing underneath.

"Your invisibility clock," Remus said and then grinned as he realised that the reason James was not enthusiastically hunting down the ghost was because he was planning on pretending to be one to pull a prank on the others.

They wandered quickly through the lower floor rooms of the house. There was no sign of any ghost and little of interest for them. Sparsely furnished and already falling into decay the house was far less interesting now that they were inside it.

It wasn't long before they heard the sounds of the others returning downstairs.

Remus looked at James who quickly whipped the invisibility cloak on and disappeared from sight.

"Where's James?" Peter asked as he walked through the door with the others.

"He's outside making sure the coast is clear," Sirius explained. "Did you find anything upstairs?"

"No," Robbie replied.

"Just spiders," Sarah confirmed with a visible shiver.

"We heading back then?" Peter asked with a yawn.

"Might as well," Robbie agreed with a look of disappointment. "Maybe we should make something up to tell the others."

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "They'll never know the difference."

"Aaargh," Eliza screamed suddenly, her eyes darting wildly around the room.

"What?" the others exclaimed as they turned to see what was the matter with her.

"S-s-something brushed past me," she stammered as she looked behind her and edged towards the open window.

"You're imagining things," Sarah replied.

"Come on, we should be getting back," Robbie said as he followed Eliza to the window. He hadn't moved more than a couple of paces when he gasped in horror and stumbled.

"You felt it too, didn't you?" Eliza asked in triumph.

"There's something here," Robbie said just as Ben screamed as he clearly felt something near him too.

All but Remus, Sirius and Peter raced for the window and were soon outside in the cold night air once more.

Peter ran to the window a moment later and grinned back at his friends. "They're halfway to Hogwarts already," he laughed.

"That was great!" Sirius grinned as James reappeared with a wide grin.

"Did you see their faces?" he roared with laughter. "Now they'll have something to tell the others."

"Bet they leave out the running and screaming part though," Remus said as he fought to get his own laughter under control.

"Hey, I didn't notice those before," Sirius said in a thoughtful tone.

"What?" James asked.

"Those marks on the wall," Sirius said as he walked to the other side of the room. "Must have been hidden in the shadows."

"Looks like an animal made them," James commented as he saw the deep scratches on the walls where a creature had clearly been scratching at the woodwork.

Remus paled slightly as he realised they had spotted the marks that he had made during the full moons. He hoped they didn't realise what it was they were seeing.

"Maybe we should have another look around," James suggested. "There might be something else to find."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed.

"It's getting late," Remus pointed out with a worried glance out of the window.

"Just a quick look around," James said. "We can always come back again some time and look again if we find anything."

Remus felt his worries about them coming by on a full moon return with James words but before he could say another word an echoing wailing sounded through the building.

He knew his face reflected that of the others as they all paled in the moonlight.

"Maybe we should go back to Hogwarts," Peter said. "I think we disturbed something tonight."

"We can't…." James started to argue but was cut off by another wail, this time even louder and the room itself seemed to shake with the power of the sound. Dust came sprinkling down from the ceiling as the sound reverberated off of the walls.

"Maybe we should come back another time," Sirius agreed as they edged towards the window.

A third wail that was even louder than the others made their minds up for them and they dove for the window.

They were soon outside and sprinting towards the school.

Just before they were out of sight of the Shrieking Shack Remus turned back to take another look at the building. He didn't know why he had felt the need to do so, but for some reason he felt compelled to turn back.

He looked with curiosity and then shocked surprise at the sight of Professor Dumbledore behind him magically sealing the open window of the Shrieking Shack.

When they said nothing got past Dumbledore, they really meant it. He grinned and tried not to laugh and give the whole scam away. He had no doubt that the Headmaster of Hogwarts had staged his own ghostly performance and had outdone even James Potter.


	17. The Free Gift

**Part Seventeen – The Free Gift**

After James and Sirius had satisfied their curiosity about the Shrieking Shack, Remus felt far more relaxed than he had before. For some reason he knew instinctively that Professor Dumbledore was not going to be summoning them to his office to speak with them about their midnight escapade. The Professor knew the difference between pranks and serious problems. That was something that had been made very clear when the teachers had conducted a search of all the school following the theft of another of the school's priceless cups.

Remus had not worried about the search of his own property although James and Sirius had found their own items depleted rather a lot by the eagle-eyed Filch. The caretaker had not only removed all the items they possessed that were on his list of banned items, he had also taken a thorough look through their belongings and had nearly doubled the length of his original list as he took in all the newer mischief making miscellany they had gathered since their arrival at Hogwarts.

Their loss of provisions had not deterred them for long though. Sirius walked into the Great Hall a couple of mornings later with the news that he had just sent off an owl with an order for their new carefully chosen supplies that should be with them within a few days.

"We're putting the family money to good use right?" James joked as Sirius helped himself to a glass of pumpkin juice.

"I wish I could have put in more," Remus commented, feeling rather like the poor relation amidst his far more wealthy friends.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius said. "We have more money than sense, at least that's what my Uncle Alphard tells about me."

"Doesn't stop him sending you funds though does it?" James pointed out with a grin.

"Yeah well, my mum won't send me any until I move into Slytherin house."

"We'll get by," James consoled. "Between my parents and your uncle, we'll be fully stocked with supplies again in no time."

"Then Filch had better watch out," Sirius grinned. "If he thinks that what he took off us was bad, just wait 'til he sees what we've ordered in now."

"What are you planning?" Peter asked.

"I don't know yet," Sirius replied with a thoughtful expression. "But whatever it is, it will make him sorry he took all our supplies."

"Something really spectacular," James agreed. "Something that will make him remember who he's dealing with."

"Something that will go down in the history of Hogwarts as the best prank ever pulled on Filch," Sirius nodded.

"You're going to have a hard time topping the mini-Filch prank," Remus pointed out.

"Oh I think we'll manage it," James smirked. "It'll just take a little imagination and a lot of magic. Especially since we now know he's a squib."

Laughing, the four friends finished their breakfast before heading to class.

* * *

"It's here," Sirius exclaimed as he looked up as the owl post arrived a few mornings later.

"Best not look too excited," Remus pointed out. "If you draw too much attention to yourself the parcel will be joining all the other supplies in Filch's office."

"Good point," Sirius replied as he casually opened the box with a look of practised boredom on his face.

"More text books on the History of Magic," James said in an unnecessarily loud voice, designed to carry to the others at the table. "Can't you get your family to send you something useful like sweets?"

"I'll see what I can do," Sirius replied in an equally loud voice. "I'll just take these back to Gryffindor Tower. You lot coming with me to collect the essays we did last night?"

"Sure," James said with a yawn. "Come on Peter, you still have to finish yours."

Remus stood up with the others and they casually walked out of the Great Hall and as soon as they were out of sight of the Professors and Prefects they started sprinting towards the tower.

* * *

"Let's see if they sent everything," James said as he started to rummage through the large box.

"Looks like the fake musical wands are on back order," Sirius said as he scanned the enclosed paperwork.

"I don't know what you ordered those for anyway," Peter said. "Too easy to get caught using them and it would be hard to switch another student's wand without them noticing."

"I thought we could use them ourselves," Sirius replied. "Flitwick's a good sort, he won't mind a bit of harmless messing around at the end of one of his classes. Thought we could do a musical number and have a bit of a laugh."

"Without actually having to learn a spell to get the wand to make music?" Remus asked with a grin.

"Exactly," Sirius laughed. "We might even get some house points for it if he doesn't realise they're fake."

"Well since they're not here, that'll have to wait anyway," James replied as he continued to pull things out of the box. "What's this?"

Remus looked at the circular bowl-like object with strange engravings on it that James was holding and frowned slightly. They both turned to Sirius who checked the order form with a matching frown of concentration.

"I don't know," he answered as he scanned the list.

"Well didn't you order it?" James asked as he rubbed at the markings on the object to see if it did anything.

"No," Sirius shook his head. "I think I'd know what it was if I had. Besides, you were with me when we went through Remus's catalogue."

"You didn't add this to the order later did you?" Remus asked as he leaned across the table to take a closer look.

"Yeah, sure I did," Sirius replied. "Then I forgot all about ordering the boring bowl. They must have just made a mistake in the order."

"No they haven't," Peter interrupted, waving a piece of parchment. "It's a free gift because you spent over ten Galleons."

"We spent that much?" James asked in surprise. Remus held his tongue; he had spotted the high amount of the order at the time, as well as noticing that his friends hadn't. They took their family's money for granted. He tried not to feel the usual guilt at the knowledge that his own family had once been wealthy and it was only through his becoming a werewolf that they had lost all their money in their searches for a cure.

"So what is it?" Sirius asked.

"It says it's a trial duplicating bowl. A new product they're launching," Peter continued to read the paper and the others looked over his shoulder to see what their extra gift was. "You put something in the bowl, wave the wand over it, say the incantation and you get a duplicate of whatever's in the bowl."

"Let's test it," James said as he placed the bowl on the table and looked around for something to duplicate.

"Wait a minute," Sirius cautioned. "The fine print says this free gift bowl will only work once and the proper ones are more expensive than even we can afford."

"So we better be careful about what we choose then," James said as he turned back to the others.

They each looked at the others and frowned as they sat around the bowl trying to think of the best thing to duplicate.

"What about some sweets?" Peter asked.

"Bit of a waste really since we have a ready supply of 'em," Sirius muttered.

"Will it do anything at all?" Remus asked.

"Nothing magical like wands or potions," Sirius read off the instructions. "Nothing that could be infringing on copyright of the original maker."

"Well that spoils the fun a bit," James remarked. "Isn't everything the original property of someone else?"

"Probably why they're giving 'em away free," Remus shrugged. "No one who's read the fine print will buy one."

"So we have to have something that…." James's voice trailed off and a now familiar mischievously thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"James has an idea," Sirius stated with a grin.

"Does it duplicate living things?" James asked, reaching across the table and impatiently grabbing the instructions from Sirius.

"It doesn't say it doesn't," James said. "I have an idea. How about we make a duplicate Mrs Norris?"

"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "You want more of a challenge and one of that horrible animal isn't enough for you?"

"How are you planning on getting the cat into the bowl?" Peter asked with a frown.

"She'll fit easily," James replied.

"I meant without losing any of your fingers," Peter replied.

"Filch will think he's gone mad when he keeps seeing his cat all over the place, not knowing there are two of them," James laughed.

"But once he's figured it out there'll be two of them plaguing the school," Remus said. "I agree with Sirius, it's might be funny at first but not later on when he's figured it out."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when Sirius Black backed away from a challenge," James said in a disgusted, taunting tone.

"You want a second Mrs Norris?" Sirius asked, bristling slightly at the implication of James's words. "Then a second Mrs Norris it is."

Remus looked at Peter who looked as alarmed as he felt at the thought of trying to get Mrs Norris to perch in the bowl long enough to cast the spell.

* * *

"Here kitty, kitty," James said as he crouched down near the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. Mrs Norris sat behind the statue, studiously ignoring James's efforts to draw her out into the corridor, and into the basket Peter had acquired from one of the house elves who had been collecting laundry the previous morning.

"Guess you don't have the knack," Sirius snickered as James put his hand further behind the statue to try and pull Mrs Norris out.

"Aargh," he screamed as Mrs Norris bit into his wrist before making good her escape.

"Where'd she go?" Sirius asked as they peered behind the statue.

"Down there," James said as they all crowded in to see that Mrs Norris had disappeared down a passage, one that was hidden from view behind the statue, unless you were looking closely enough for it; or in the case of the four friends, looking for the caretaker's malicious cat.

"We don't have time to look down there now," Remus said as they drew back from the opening. "The Quidditch match is going to start soon. We don't want to miss the first game of the year."

"Yeah," James agreed as he continued to rub his wrist. "We're going about this the wrong way anyway. Mrs Norris will show up as soon as we go somewhere we're not supposed to be. We just have to wait for her to find us, then we grab her."


	18. Operation: Mrs Norris

**Part Eighteen – Operation: Mrs Norris**

Remus stood in the stands a short while later as he watched the match begin. He was proud to see the other two houses all supported the Gryffindor team, although he was not exactly surprised by the fact that only the Slytherins supported their own team. He didn't join in the booing of the Slytherin team although he noticed that James and the others booed and hissed with a number of the other Gryffindor students around them.

"Go Gryffindors!" James yelled out his support as their own team came onto the pitch. Sirius and Peter cheered alongside him as Remus yelled his own support and jumped up and down with the rest of the Gryffindor House as their team waved to the crowds. Even through the din of the cheers Remus could make out the sound of booing and hissing from the Slytherin stands and cheered even louder with the rest of the Gryffindors in response.

"Next year we'll be on that team too," James declared as he punched the air in determination and cheered again.

"That's right," Sirius agreed. "Two seventh years on the team this year means two places open next year. And they're ours!"

Remus grinned; their enthusiasm was contagious. Cheering again they waited for the match to begin.

Madam Hooch started the match and a collective groan sounded through the Gryffindor stand as Lucius Malfoy quickly took control of the quaffle for the Slytherin team.

The Gryffindor beaters tried their best but Lucius was a skilled enough player to carefully avoid the bludgers sent in his direction and he scored the first points of the game for the Slytherin team. As much as he disliked the Slytherins generally James had to admit to his friends that Lucius's skill at the game was good and the points were well deserved.

"Where the heck was our Beater aiming?" James asked with a frustrated wave of his arm towards the pitch. "That bludger was so far from the Slytherins it might as well have been left in the box."

"The match has only just started," Remus laughed. "Don't you think you better calm down a bit or you'll be in a complete state by the end of the match?"

Sirius and Peter laughed at James's expression of annoyance with the team but before he could respond a cheer went up from the crowd. As one they all turned towards the pitch and saw that whilst James had been criticising the team they had in fact gained control of the quaffle and were heading right for the goal hoops.

Remus cheered along with the rest of the House when they brought the score level with that of the Slytherins. By the time they overtook the Slytherin team James had completely forgotten all about his criticism of the team.

The afternoon stretched on and the teams began to tire, and although he thought it might be wishful thinking, Remus did like to think that the Gryffindor team was not quite as exhausted as the Slytherin team was.

The eyes of the whole stand were on the Chasers as they tried yet again to score in what James stated was the lowest scoring school match in recent years.

"What's he doing?" Peter suddenly asked from where he sat beside Remus. Remus turned to where Peter was pointing, as did a number of other students around them.

He had turned just in time to see one of the Slytherin Beaters bearing down at speed on a bludger that was moving across his path.

A split second later they knew exactly what he was trying to do and as the bludger went flying towards the Ravenclaw stand the cries of "bumphing" and "foul" echoed around them. Remus yelled his disapproval along with the others as they watched the Ravenclaw students dive out of the way of the bludger.

Madam Hooch flew over to the stand to get the bludger under control and the Gryffindor reserves took the opportunity to get into the air themselves and show off their skill as they helped her to catch the bludger.

The match soon resumed and everyone continued to watch the two teams as they each tried to outdo the other. The cheating tactics of the Slytherin team seemed to invigorate the Gryffindor team and it was not long before the Gryffindor Seeker let out a triumphant yell of victory as he held the snitch in the air. The crowd echoed his yell and cheered the team as they returned to the ground.

Remus followed his friends back up to the school with the rest of the House as they crowded around the team and clapped each member on the back as they made their way along the path to the castle.

Through the crowd Remus could just make out the stragglers from Slytherin and spotted Severus Snape was one of them. He saw him look in the direction of James and Sirius with an expression of intense dislike on his face. He cast a cautious glance at James and Sirius and saw that they too had spotted their fellow first year. Thinking quickly he pretended he hadn't seen Severus and instead yelled more congratulations to the team, casually pushing James backwards as he reached forward to shake hands with the Seeker. When he glanced back Severus had moved out of sight and James and Sirius had forgotten they had seen him. Remus silently breathed a sigh of relief that trouble had been averted.

Letting the team go on ahead slightly he and the others slowed their pace a little so that they arrived back at the school some way behind the team.

"So what about it Remus? You up for a party next weekend to celebrate the team's victory?" James asked with a grin.

"I don't know," Remus hesitated. "Are you sure we won't get into trouble wandering around at night?"

"We didn't when we went down to the Shrieking Shack," Sirius pointed out. "And we won't even be leaving the school grounds this time. Come on Remus, it'll be a laugh and we have a few days to get organised".

"I don't know," Remus replied, knowing he couldn't explain that he wouldn't be around on the night they were planning to have their party. The full moon was on the Monday and he knew that on the night of the party he would be back in the Shrieking Shack. But he could hardly tell his friends that.

"Lots of students have parties at school and it is about time we had one," insisted Sirius as he slung one arm around Remus's shoulders and gestured wildly with the other as he described what he called the social event of the year.

"Why not later in the year?" suggested Remus, "after we've all settled in a bit more."

"We've been here over two months," laughed James as he echoed Sirius's enthusiasm.

"I guess," replied Remus with a small sigh as his friends walked on ahead of him discussing their plans. He would have to think of some way to persuade them to put off their plans until he returned. It wasn't that he didn't want to enjoy a party with the others, it was just pure bad luck that they had chosen the one weekend of the month when it would be impossible for him to join in the fun.

He shivered slightly as a draft breezed down the corridor and he hurried after his friends. It was almost a relief to hear that the party had now taken second place to the quest to capture Mrs Norris again. As his friends discussed their plans he worried silently at how he could possibly manage to keep his secret from the quick-thinking and clever James Potter and Sirius Black. He had been at the school for a little over two months and he knew that he couldn't possibly keep up the pretence and the lies for the seven long years that lay ahead of him.

* * *

"Right," said James as he leaned in over the table in the Gryffindor common room the following morning. "We all know what we have to do?"

"I have to divert Filch," Peter said with conviction. "Why do I have to divert him?"

"Do you want to catch Mrs Norris?" James asked with a sigh.

"No," Peter admitted as he looked at James's hand which still bore the scratch from their last attempt to capture the cat.

"Then you get to divert Filch," James explained with another long-suffering sigh. "Sirius?"

"I steal…er…borrow, some ingredients from Professor Slughorn's Potions Lab, just in case the flea-ridden creature gets upset when she comes round."

"Right," James said. "And you and me Remus are going to track down the animal ready to get her. Just remember if you find her, don't try to grab her, just keep an eye on her and report back.

"Yeah James, I'm sure Remus wants to get his hand bitten," Sirius joked. "We'll leave catching the creature to you, after all you've already had some practice in that area."

James looked slightly disgruntled as the friends laughed and set out on their various missions as 'Operation: Mrs Norris' got underway.

"Let's go down to the Great Hall and then split in opposite directions from there," James suggested to Remus as they climbed through the portrait doorway of the common room.

"You do realise we may not be able to find her at all?" Remus pointed out. "In case you hadn't noticed, the school is kind of big."

"She'll find me," James said with conviction. "I'm up to no good and that is the best way to get the attention of Mrs Norris."

"Good point," Remus laughed as they headed down the stairs.

"So why didn't you want a party yet?" James asked as they jumped easily over one of the tricky stairs.

"I just thought they might be watching closer just now for victory celebrations after the match," Remus offered with a shrug. "Having a party out of the blue might be better if we want to get away with it."

"I guess you could be right," James agreed. "Good to have you looking after our backs Remus."

"So you'll move the party?" Remus asked.

"I'll think about it," James said. "Though I think you're worrying for nothing."

"Better safe than sorry," Remus replied as he pushed open the door to the Great Hall.

"Better partying than bored," James retorted with a smirk.

Remus ignored his comment as he stooped to look beneath the tables, but there was no sign of Mrs Norris in the Hall itself.

"Which way do you want to look?" James asked as they stepped back out into the corridor.

"How about I got this way and check the kitchens?" Remus offered. "You can go that way and see if she's near Filch's office."

"Okay," James agreed. "Peter should have got Filch out of there by now and half way to the lake."

"As long as this particular cat doesn't like to swim we should find her."

Going in their separate directions Remus searched every room on the way to the kitchens before checking with the house elves inside, but no one had seen the errant cat. Climbing back out into the corridor he saw James hurrying in his direction with a grin on his face.

"You've found her," Remus stated.

"Almost right away," James said as he lead Remus back down the corridor. Sirius was waiting for them at the top of a staircase.

"She went this way," Sirius said as he pointed down the corridor behind him.

"Well why didn't you follow her?" James asked with impatience.

"Because you wouldn't know which way I went," Sirius pointed out. "Come on, she can't have gone far."

"Okay," James said, taking charge once again. "You go after her and Remus and me will go this way to head her off if she tries to get away from you."

Sirius nodded and took off down the corridor at a brisk pace as Remus followed after James.

The plan worked perfectly and Remus stood at the end of the corridor as James pulled out his wand and aimed it at the oncoming cat.

"_Petrificus Totalus_," James shouted as the cat tried unsuccessfully to dodge his spell.

"Nice one," Sirius said as they approached Mrs Norris.

Picking her up quickly James hid the cat under his robe and they hurried back to the common room.

A short while later Peter came back to join them as they waited for the spell to wear off.

"Why can't you just do the spell now?" Peter asked.

"Because it won't work on anything magical," Sirius explained. "A cat with a spell on it is pretty magical wouldn't you say?"

"It might work," Remus said. "The cat itself isn't magical."

"No point risking it and wasting the one shot we have," Sirius said.

"I think she's coming round," James said as he poked at the cat with his wand. "You got those ingredients ready?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied. "Though tell me again how you were planning to get her to take them."

"She seems to be pretty quiet," Remus said. "Why not just put her in the bowl and do the spell now before she realises where she is and makes a run for it?"

"Okay," James said as he picked up the cat and placed her in the bowl. "You ready Sirius?"

Sirius nodded as he picked up his wand and glanced at the parchment with the instructions on it.

"Ready?" Sirius said as they stood around the table and glanced at the older Gryffindors who were taking no notice of the group of first year boys at the other end of the room.

Everyone nodded as Sirius pointed his wand at the bowl containing the still groggy Mrs Norris.

"_Effingo- duplicat_," Sirius said.

"If this works it really will be a dupli_cat_," James snickered as the bowl began to glow.

Remus grinned back as Peter laughed loudly at the weak joke.

"It's working," Sirius said with triumph. "Oh blimey, she's moving."

"Stop her," Peter said as James leaned forward to try to grab Mrs Norris as she leapt from the table at a speed that surprised them all.

James stumbled forward his hand going towards the bowl seconds too late.

Remus and the others watched Mrs Norris run from the room as Lily Evans and her friend Veronica came inside.

"Well that was disappointing," James said as he ran his hand through his hair and sank down into his chair.

"I don't think we're going to get another shot," Remus said as he looked at the bowl which was no longer glowing.

"Especially since it worked," Sirius said through a choked laugh. "Er, James…"

Remus turned away from the bowl and looked at James, he saw immediately what Sirius had spotted seconds before. He laughed himself, unable to control himself, despite the look of shocked horror on James's face.

"Maybe you should have done it before the Quidditch team tryouts," Sirius suggested. "I don't think it's against the rules."

"And with the extra advantage you may have been let on the team," Peter laughed as James continued to stare at the second arm that had sprouted from his elbow downwards.

"You could have used both hands for the broom and a third to catch the ball," Sirius laughed as tears started to stream down his face.

"It's not funny," James insisted as he tried to arrange his robes so that no one else would see what had happened.

His efforts were in vain though and the sharp-eyed Lily joined in their laughter and soon the rest of the Gryffindors were in fits of giggles over the unfortunately executed prank.

"Madam Pomfrey will sort you out," one of the fifth year students said. "She's had to deal with worse, though I think this will be a first."

James put his face in two of his hands in mock dismay, whilst the other students took turns to shake the extra one and congratulate him on the spell.

Remus eventually stood up to shake his hand himself and in the process drag him to his feet and force him out of the door towards the hospital wing.

He silently wondered how James was going to talk his way out of this one.


	19. The Mark of True Friendship

**Part Nineteen – The Mark of True Friendship**

Within a couple of days the talk about James's third arm was beginning to die down and the jokes of "need a hand Potter?" had begun to lose their sparkle.

But with the dying down of the repercussions of their latest bout of plotting, it was not long before James returned to the idea of the party.

"I thought you were going to postpone it?" Remus asked with a frown. "I'd have thought even more so now that you've brought yourself to the attention of the Professors by growing an extra arm?"

"Which is why I think we should have it as originally planned," James pointed out. "They wouldn't suspect us of getting into trouble again quite so soon."

"You don't think they'll be keeping a closer eye on you now?" Remus asked.

"No," James replied with a shake of his head. "Anyone would think you didn't want a party."

"It's not that," Remus insisted. "I just think you should be careful, that's all."

"We will be."

"If you're sure?" Remus asked, already able to spot the signs in James's expression that told him that it would be pointless to argue further.

"Sunday night, is party night," James said with a resolved expression. "So we'll have to get busy with the organising if we're going to be ready."

Remus nodded silently. The full moon was Monday night, and he would be imprisoned in the Shrieking Shack from Sunday morning. He wondered if it had been a good idea to argue with James about the date for the party after all; it would only serve to highlight his absence once again. Maybe he should have shown as much enthusiasm for the idea as they had and then hoped for the best when the night of the party arrived and he was unable to attend.

His worry only increased as the week wore on and he knew that James was not entirely convinced of his eagerness for the party. Several times he caught James and Sirius whispering and knew that his reluctance to have the party this coming weekend was the topic of their conversation.

He didn't know what to do for the best.

The problem wasn't made any easier by the news from Professor McGonagall that this month they were going to make up the excuse of a family emergency to explain his absence from the school. Of course he could not play sick every month, but the family emergency would mean his being pulled out of a full classroom and everyone whispering and speculating as to what could be the matter. But as always he knew that he could not argue about this. It wasn't anyone's fault that he had to go through this and despite the hassle and aggravation of his situation he was truly grateful that he was allowed to attend Hogwarts at all.

By Friday afternoon Remus had given up altogether on worrying about the party in the interests of the pounding headache his pondering induced. On the way into the Potions classroom he heard James and Sirius discussing his previous reluctance and knew that they were convinced he was coming around to their way of thinking and would be all for it by the night of the party. They had no way of knowing that he was going to be called out of class that very afternoon.

He schooled his expression to one of surprised concern when Professor McGonagall poked her head into the classroom and explained that she had some bad news from home for him.

Picking up his books and parchment he hurried towards the door, his face flushed as he felt the stares of the other students on his back.

The only thing he felt was relief that by the time he returned the party would be over and done with and he hoped would soon be forgotten.

"You're still not used to this are you Remus?" McGonagall asked with a sad smile.

"I just don't like lying to them all," Remus said.

"Of course you don't. But you understand why you have to, don't you?"

"Yes Professor," Remus replied. "But I don't think they'll believe all these lies for much longer."

"Maybe not." McGonagall quietly considered his words as she lead him to the staff room for him to be privately tutored for the rest of the afternoon.

"What if they guess the truth?" Remus asked when they were safely out of the way of the ears of any wandering students.

"Between you and me, I'd be very surprised if they didn't figure it out," McGonagall said. "Potter and Black are two of the smartest students in the year, despite their lack of discipline. Sooner or later they could work out what it is you're hiding."

"You think so?" Remus asked.

"But that doesn't mean you're being given permission to tell them yourself," McGonagall said, neatly anticipating his next question.

"What will they say when they do find out?"

"I don't know," McGonagall admitted. "But if they're friends worth having, then your being what you are won't change that. If they find out and don't stand by you then perhaps you should look for other friends."

"But how do I know whether they're true friends without telling them?"

"Well that's something for you to figure out in your own time," McGonagall said, though not without a degree of sympathy.

Remus pondered her words that afternoon as he worked through the assignments the rest of his classmates were busy with in the classroom. He wished he was with them but made an effort to push such thoughts from his mind. There was nothing he could do about that and it was no use dwelling on it. He'd take a leaf out of the book of James Potter and live for the moment and worry about tomorrow when it happened.

* * *

It was Thursday before Remus was allowed back into the main school. The full moon combined with the colder weather had taken their toll on him and it was even later than he had been expected to return to the school. Madam Pomfrey would have kept him in the infirmary for another two days and returned him to the school on Monday had she had her way. But Remus was well enough to be worried about what had happened regarding the party and insisted he was well enough to return to class.

"Haven't you even started your History of Magic essay?" Sirius was asking James as Remus stepped into the Gryffindor common room early Thursday morning. "It's due in this afternoon."

"I'll knock something together in time," James replied as he looked out of the window and out towards the Quidditch pitch were the Gryffindor team were out for their early morning practice.

"Even Peter's done his," Sirius criticised. "And mine was done Sunday. What were you writing when we were doing our essays? I thought you were working on yours?"

"It's a surprise," James replied. "And don't worry I'll do my essay over lunch. It's not like Professor Binns will notice if it's late anyway."

"Even mine's done, and I've been away," Remus said as he walked over to the others and made his presence known.

"You could probably get away with not doing it," Sirius laughed. "Where've you been?"

"Good to have you back," James said with a grin as he finally pulled away from the window and clapped Remus on the back.

"What was the emergency?" Peter asked.

"Just family stuff," Remus hedged as he settled into his seat. "Missed me did you?"

"Sirius especially," James laughed. "Poor old Sirius had to work with _Snivellus_ after you were pulled out of class. What torture."

"But I suffered through in the knowledge that my suffering was not going to last, and that you'd be back with us again soon and my endurance would stand the test that was…."

"Okay we get the point," James interrupted. "So they made you do work at home?"

"Yeah, the emergency was not all that bad but we were staying in a remote area and got snowed in." Remus breathed a sigh of relief that he had had word that his family was in fact snowed in with the early winter that had arrived, and that if anyone chose to check it out the weather reports would back up his story.

"Well you're back just in time to help us organise the party," James said with glee.

"Didn't you have it on Sunday?" Remus asked.

"Course not," Sirius replied. "You didn't think we'd have it without you?"

"Well I thought perhaps, especially since I'd been worried about getting into trouble…"

"We know you were only looking out for us," James said. "Doesn't mean we'd go ahead without you."

"Anyone would think you knew you wouldn't be here this weekend…" Sirius said quietly with a thoughtful expression on his face as he chewed on the end of his quill.

"How could I know that?" Remus asked with a nervous laugh.

"You don't have seer blood in your family do you?" Sirius asked. "Always thought it was a load of all rubbish but maybe you knew something was going to happen last weekend."

"Do you have any seers in the family?" James asked curiously.

"I don't think so," Remus replied, wondering whether to lie and say that he did and use that for future excuses when the full moon was about to rise. But after a moment of consideration he discarded the idea and knew that he wanted there to be as few lies between them all as possible. Some lies could not be helped but when the day came that they did find out his secret, and deep down he knew that one day they would, he wanted them to know that he had told them the truth as much as he had been able to.

If he lost his friends because of his secret there was nothing he could do about it, but if he lost them because of telling them too many lies then it was something he could remedy.

And when his secret did come out he would know once and for all how strong the friendships he had forged with the other three boys were.


	20. The Artist

**Part Twenty – The Artist **

As was becoming his habit, Remus pushed aside all thoughts of the full moon and all that it entailed and threw himself into school life once more. With the party fast approaching he soon found himself caught up in the wave of enthusiasm that surrounded James and Sirius. They had moved the party to the end of the month and Remus felt relief that he would not be quarantined in the Shrieking Shack when the night came.

"What's that you're scribbling on?" Remus asked as he came across James in the common room, once again bent over a piece of parchment with a look of determined concentration on his face.

"Nothing much," James said as he casually slipped the parchment between his books and out of sight. He was easily quick enough to beat Remus and Peter but unfortunately for him, Sirius was, if not faster, at least on the right side of the table and his hand snatched the books away and he began to rifle through them for the parchment.

"What is it then?" Remus asked Sirius as the other boy's face lit up at what Remus had long since recognised as the anticipation of mischief.

"Well since it is James's idea I guess he'd better tell us," Sirius said as he continued to scan the paper.

"Okay, but not here," James said as he cast a cautious eye towards a group of giggling second year girls who were watching the conversation as avidly as could be.

Five minutes later the four boys were wrapped up warmly in their cloaks and hidden away from prying eyes in a secluded area of the grounds near the Great Lake.

"So are you going to let us in on the big secret then?" Remus asked.

"I think you should guess what it is going to be," James replied with a wicked grin as he spread the parchment on the grass.

Remus looked down at the parchment and saw instantly what it was that James had been working on so secretively for the last couple of weeks. Before him was a meticulously designed map of the school, complete with the movements of the staircases that no previous mapmaker had ever managed to emulate.

"Wow," gasped Peter. "Now I'll never be late to class with that map."

"I don't think that is what James had in mind," Sirius said thoughtfully. "There's more isn't there?"

"It's not finished yet," James explained with a nod. "I have some problems that I just can't figure out how to solve."

"Well maybe we can solve them for you?" Remus suggested. "Four heads are better than one, aren't they?"

"Especially when one of them is mine," Sirius crowed.

"I guess with bighead here on the job it'll be done by lunchtime," Remus teased and everyone laughed good-naturedly, Sirius included.

Unfortunately it was not as easy as they would have liked, especially when James explained what it was he would like the map to do. There were three main problems that he was struggling to resolve.

He had accomplished the basic map with relative ease by wandering the school corridors with the enchanted parchment and watching as it magically appeared on the parchment. By magically connecting the map to the school with a complicated variation of a memory spell, it remembered the long and complicated sequence of the various staircases and it altered to match with perfect timing.

He had also managed to figure out a way for the map to tell where it was and thus show the person holding it exactly where they were.

What he couldn't manage to solve though were the problems of adding other people to the map, or of hiding it from prying eyes if, horror of horrors, a Professor or the lurking Filch ever found it in their possession.

"What are all these blank areas?" Peter asked, pointing to three areas on the map that were built up to a certain point but then mysteriously blank.

"Well I'd guess the one in the dungeons is the Slytherin quarters," Remus said thoughtfully.

"You'd guess right," James confirmed as he pointed out the various gaps. "And this is the Ravenclaw Tower and the Hufflepuff quarters down here near the kitchens."

"Looks like James is going to have to go undercover to get the map to those areas," Sirius said.

"Well I was thinking of asking Andromeda to take it into Slytherin quarters with her. If she agrees I'm sure she'll be able to persuade her boyfriend to take it into the Hufflepuff quarters too. We'll need to find another way to get it into Ravenclaw Tower though."

"You were going to tell her before us?" Sirius asked, with a mock hurt tone.

"Well not until I'd figured out a way to hide what it is," James admitted. "And I'd almost got to the point where I was going to have to ask you guys to help anyway."

"How about an invisibility spell?" Peter asked.

"Well that would hide the map, but it would be a pain to find it again if we forgot where we'd put it," James said. "It needs to be something else, I just don't know what."

"Could you transfigure it into something else?" Remus asked as he frowned at the parchment.

"I tried but it only works partially because of the spell on it that makes it read the school's movements, watch."

James pulled out his wand and cast the transfiguration spell to show what he meant, and sure enough the parchment transformed into a pencil, but it still had the moving images, tiny though they were, on the object. They might not be able to tell what it was but they had no doubt that Professor McGonagall would recognise what they had done, reverse the spell and see their hard work safely locked away in a secure cupboard somewhere. Or even worse, if they figured out how to add everyone onto the map, the Professors could routinely use it to check if the students were where they were supposed to be.

"We need some sort of cloaking spell to just hide the other spell," Sirius said, his chin resting on his knuckles as he glared at the parchment.

"I was reading a book about cloaking spells a few weeks ago," Remus said, after a moment of hesitation in case they asked what he was looking up those for. He could hardly say it was to hide from them the injuries he often found on himself after his monthly visits to the Shrieking Shack.

"Do you think you could go check it out the library?" James asked, his enthusiasm returning. "We can think about how to add the other students while you're getting that."

"Sure," Remus said, as he stood up and brushed the dead leaves from his cloak.

"We'll wait for you here," Sirius said as he grabbed the map to take a closer look at it.

"Maybe we should wait inside somewhere," Peter said with a nervous glance towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Afraid of the werewolves are you?" Sirius teased. "It's not even dark yet."

"Just being careful," Peter huffed with false bravado.

"Guess we'd better meet you back at the common room then, Remus," Sirius said, standing up with a roll of the eyes towards Peter who was still looking nervously towards the trees. "Better get Peter back to the school before the evil old werewolves get him."

"What'd they want with him?" James said with a snort, as he too stood and after snatching the parchment back from Sirius secured it in is cloak.

Remus ducked his head to hide his expression as he hurried away, promising to return to the common room with the book as quickly as he could. He knew that they were only teasing Peter for a laugh and a small part of him knew that they would not make such jokes about werewolves if they knew that he was one himself, but he still felt hurt at their careless words.

He was still contemplating their words when he arrived in the library and he made the decision that instead of returning immediately to the others he would wait a little while in order to compose himself. He grabbed the book with the cloaking spells from the shelf and checked it out, Madam Pince reminding him to return it promptly.

He looked around the library for somewhere to sit but it was crowded with students using their Sunday to catch up on an entire week's worth of assignments. Eventually he spotted an empty seat at a desk and walked towards it; it was only when he turned the corner of the bookshelf he saw that the seat opposite the one he was heading for was occupied by Severus Snape.

He hesitated a moment before sitting down but there were no other seats available and Severus seemed too engrossed in his work to notice. Remus opened his book and started to look up the possibility of using a cloaking spell to hide another spell but he wasn't taking in the words on the page at all. Instead he found his eyes continually drawn to the hands across the table that were moving with lightening speed across the parchment that was being held as such an angle he could not see the surface from where he was sitting. He frowned and wondered what it was that the other boy was doing. He didn't remember getting any drawing assignments this week, though he supposed there could have been one in a class that they didn't share.

Remus studied the other boy carefully and suddenly realised that whatever it was he was doing, it wasn't schoolwork. Severus wasn't hunched over the paper as he normally was, instead he was sitting straight-backed and a rare smile was present on his face, not the usual sneer or expression of dislike, but a smile of pure pleasure. Had he not seen it for himself he would scarcely have believed it and it made him all the more curious to know what it was that had brought about the change in the normally sour-faced boy.

Closing his book he chewed his lip as he wondered how to approach Severus and find out what it was that he was doing.

He was still wondering whether to say something, and what to say if he did when the parchment came drifting down onto the table in front of him and Severus seamlessly started work on another sheet.

Remus looked at the paper and saw to his surprise a wonderfully detailed rendition of the toad that he had sometimes seen Severus carrying around the school. The picture looked lifelike enough that had it sprang to life and jumped from the page he would not have been surprised. He was still carefully studying the picture when another sheet landed beside the first, this one showing the library around them. The detail was stunning and accurate and Remus had no difficulty at all in recognising the individual students without looking towards them to see if he was right. He wondered that Severus hadn't commented on his presence until he realised that he was so caught up in his drawing he literally hadn't seen what was right in front of his nose.

He wondered for a moment if Severus was perhaps using some form of enchanted pencil but he only had to look at the instrument steadily gripped between the long figures of the boy to know that his talent was not magically aided.

More pages came to land beside the others and Remus was equally impressed with all of them. He no longer wanted to interrupt Severus as he drew for he knew that should he say anything to him the spell-like trance he was working under would be broken and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Eventually though the sound of the pencil on the parchment stopped. Remus looked up from the picture of the owl that he was studying, wondering if he had been noticed at last. He saw instantly that that was not the case and that instead Severus was frowning thoughtfully at the parchment that was now rested on the table. Remus rose from his seat slightly so that he could look at the paper. He could see what the problem was instantly. It was clear that Severus was trying to draw a thestral, but that he was struggling to capture on paper a creature that he had only descriptions of to work from. Remus would have offered to help but he too had never seen the schools thestrals.

Eventually Remus could stand it no longer and decided to make his presence known.

"These are really good," he offered with a smile that faltered slightly as Severus jumped in his seat, confirming the fact that he had been completely oblivious to the presence of the other boy. Remus watched with sadness as the smile of pleasure vanished instantly and was replaced with the usual frown of suspicion and distrust. Not wanting to look at the expression he turned back to the picture of the owl, only to have it snatched from his hand.

"No really. They're great," said Remus reaching across again and taking another sheet of paper, this one covered with pictures of the unicorns that were said to lurk in the Forbidden Forest. "Who taught you how to draw?"

Remus wondered if he was going to answer his question at all as the boy glared at him before scanning the library as though looking for someone. Remus with vivid clarity suddenly realised that the other boy thought it was some sort of trap, that James and Sirius were about to jump out from behind a bookcase and pull some suitably horrible prank on him.

"I'd really like to know," Remus tried to assure him with a hesitant smile as he risked another glare from Severus by reaching for another of the drawings to look at.

"My grandpa," Severus finally answered with a small sigh as he reached across again to pull the pages back. Oh, well, Remus thought, at least he answered, that was some progress.

Severus was continuing to gather the pieces of parchment towards him when Remus spotted one he had not noticed before, that of a drawing of a mother wolf protecting her young cubs.

"You like wolves?" Remus asked as he looked encouragingly at Severus, knowing the answer anyway.

Severus shrugged, but Remus was grateful that at least he wasn't glaring at him.

It was clear to Remus that Severus didn't really want to talk and he watched him flip his pencil over and use the eraser on the end to rub out the wing of the thestral that he had just drawn.

"Hey Remus, there you are!"

Remus jumped guiltily and glanced at the clock on the wall. He had lost track of the time entirely and it seemed that the others had sent out a search party in the form of James to bring him back to the common room.

"Shhhh," Madam Pince glared at the intruder to her quiet library.

Remus knew he would have to leave before he was thrown out of the library. Severus was gazing with eyes narrowed in suspicion at James. James, oblivious to the look of malevolence being cast in his direction was instead trying his best to charm Madam Pince.

It was instinct more than planning that made Remus discreetly slip the picture of the wolves in between the pages of his book.

He looked back to James and saw him waving him over again as he turned back towards the door. Remus turned to Severus and whispered "see you around" as he left the table. He wasn't surprised that he didn't receive a reply, though couldn't help but feel a small measure of disappointment, after all they had just had a relatively civilised conversation for once.

"What you hanging round with him for?" James asked as the door swung shut behind them and they left the library.

"It was crowded when I got there," Remus explained truthfully. "His table was the only one with an empty seat."

"Wonder why," James commented sarcastically as they made their way along the corridor to the common room. "So did you find it?"

"Got it right here," Remus replied, carefully patting the book as they gave the password and climbed through the portrait and into the common room.

"There you are!"

"Thought you'd got lost!"

Sirius and Peter greeted Remus with a smile.

"I had to go rescue him from _Snivellus_," James joked. Remus bit his lip as the others laughed before he quickly changed the subject and placed the book on the table in front of them.

They took it in turns to leaf through the pages as they searched for the solution to their problem. Unfortunately Remus found it rather difficult to slide out of the book the picture of the wolves, and each time he tried to, someone else started flicking through the pages. He was still trying to casually retrieve it when the sharp-eyed Sirius came across it himself.

"What's this?" he asked as he turned the parchment over.

"Did you do this Remus?" James asked as he too looked with awe at the drawing.

"No, what is it?" Remus asked, reluctant to tell them that he knew not only what it was, but also who had drawn it.

Leaning across he feigned surprise as he looked at the drawing.

"Someone must have left it in the book when they took it back last," Peter said as he too gazed in admiration at the drawing.

"I guess," James agreed. "Wonder who drew it."

"Someone talented, look at the detail," Sirius pointed at a particularly exquisite cub.

Remus wondered what they would say if he told them that Severus Snape had drawn the picture. Would they see him differently knowing that he had such a talent? Or would they suddenly take back what they had said about the artist and, worse still, tease the boy about it when they saw him?

It was the fear that they would do the latter that made him hold his tongue and remain silent about the origins of the picture. He didn't want to take the risk that they would tease Severus or that he would think that he had a part in it.

Deciding it was best that they never know who the mystery artist was, Remus reached for the picture announcing that he knew just where to put it. Maybe some day he would tell them the truth about who had drawn the picture, some day when they all got along better and the ill-feeling towards Severus wasn't so strong.

Until then it would have to be enough for Remus to know that his friends didn't dislike wolves generally, and even though werewolves were different, at least there was hope that they might stick by him should they know the truth.


	21. The Approaching Holidays

**Part Twenty One – The Approaching Holidays **

The end of term was approaching fast and once the last full moon of the year was out of the way Remus started to look forward to the holidays, thankful that he would not be missing any of his holidays this year because of a full moon.

James and Peter were equally enthusiastic about the coming holidays, but Remus was the first to notice that Sirius was not as excited about going home as the rest of them.

"Do you know what your parents are getting you for Christmas?" Remus asked one bitterly cold afternoon as they sat in front of the roaring fire of the common room. "I've been asking for a new owl and I think that this year I may get one. My parents' owl just can't keep making the trip all the way up here."

"I'll probably get some book on dark magic and curses or some such rubbish," Sirius muttered without looking up from the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.

"Well it might be interesting to read," Remus said with forced enthusiasm. "There's talk about dark happenings in the papers, it could be good to know how to defend yourself."

"I agree, but I doubt that the my Christmas gift will have the same aims."

Seeing that there was no talking to him Remus went to talk to James to see whether he had any ideas.

"He said as much the other day in class," James confided in a hushed tone. "His parents didn't even take him to Diagon Alley for his school things."

"I know," Remus replied. "Nor to the station either, remember."

"Maybe he can come and stay at mine for some of the holidays," James suggested, almost to himself.

"Will his parents let him?" asked Remus.

"From the little he's said about them I doubt they'd even notice he's gone," James answered with a snort of contempt for the Black family. "He could come with me from the station and they'd never know the difference."

* * *

Right up until the week before they were due to go home for the holidays Remus, James and Peter did their best to try to find out more about why it was that Sirius didn't want to go home. But unfortunately for them the normally vocal Sirius Black was unusually tight-lipped about his home and despite what he said to try to convince them otherwise, he clearly didn't want to go home. 

"I'll be fine," he insisted over breakfast one morning. Remus would have believed him but for the fact that he was looking steadfastly at his glass of pumpkin juice rather than at his friends.

"You'll have to visit us all though," Peter said, Remus and James nodding in agreement.

"You can stay at my house," James offered yet again, but Sirius only offered the same reply he had previously given.

"My parents might not notice when I am around, unless I'm doing something I shouldn't of course, but I'm sure they'd soon notice if I wasn't home at all."

"But you can come and visit?" James asked; he was determined to get the answer he wanted.

"I'll see," answered Sirius with a shrug.

* * *

In Potions class Remus sat with Peter at the desk behind Sirius and James and listened quietly whilst James continued to chat about the holidays. 

"Mum and Dad are throwing a New Year party like they do every year," James announced as he added dragon scales to his potion. "You've got to come and see the fireworks they put on."

"Can't," mumbled Sirius, keeping his face averted as he sliced the roots on the table with a fervour he rarely showed in potions class.

"But everyone's going to be there," James argued.

"The Black family have a New Year bash every year too," said Sirius in a tone that sounded like he was looking as forward to that as he would be for a funeral.

"Couldn't you floo over for an hour or two?" pushed James. Remus held his breath, Sirius was normally easygoing but the business with his family was bringing out another side of him and Remus suspected it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

"I doubt it," Sirius scowled at the roots that were now too thin to use. He went to fetch some more from the store cabinet across the room.

"Can you get us some too?" called Remus with a sigh, as Peter scrambled on the floor for the roots he had just dropped because he was too busy listening to the conversation at the table in front of them too.

Sirius came back to the table and deposited some roots on Remus's bench before turning to slice his own again.

"Thanks," Remus offered, but before he could say anything else and steer the conversation onto another topic James spoke again.

"Everyone is going to be there," he insisted.

"The Black family won't be," Sirius muttered.

"There'll be live music too," James announced as though Sirius hadn't spoken. "Not sure who yet but mum has contacts and always gets someone great."

"I won't be allowed to come over." Sirius forced the words through gritted teeth.

"Well can I come over to your house for an hour then?" James asked casually. Remus watched Sirius carefully as they waited for his reply. In all the time they had been talking about the holidays and everyone had been invited to everyone else's homes, Sirius had not once suggested any of his friends come to visit him.

Now James had brought the idea up and it was plain from the whitening of Sirius's face that he didn't want any of them to visit him.

"Okay, bad idea," James backtracked. "If you didn't want me there you only had to say."

"It's not that mate," whispered Sirius. "You've not met my family. They're…well…they…"

"What?" asked James curiously.

"They're like _him,_" Sirius hissed with a nod in Severus's direction. Remus looked towards Severus and saw that he too had been listening intently to the conversation between James and Sirius.

"Like _Snivelly?_" James snickered.

"Well not _exactly_ like him," Sirius amended. "They aren't cry babies for one thing. But they _are_ purebloods and they think that all other wizards should be too."

"Is _Snivellus_ a pureblood?" James asked absentmindedly. "I've never heard of the Snapes. Anyway Sirius, the Potters are as pureblood as the Blacks. Why can't you come over?"

"Because the Potters are very vocal in their campaigns for equal rights for muggle-born wizards. Something the Black family has been against since forever. They'll never willingly let me set foot in the house of a Potter. As for you coming over to us…" Sirius's voice trailed off and he shook his head.

"That bad huh?" asked James. Sirius nodded.

"Doesn't sound like you're going to have much of a Christmas."

"Never do," Sirius joked with a flash of his usual humour returning.

"Well if you can try and sneak out for a while."

"I'll try," agreed Sirius as he added the newly sliced roots to the potion and sat back to watch it simmer.

After that the conversation returned to the subject of potions, it hadn't gone unnoticed by Professor Slughorn that all four of them had made a mistake in their potion and had obtained extra ingredients.

Remus watched Sirius gradually return to his usual self and hoped that James wouldn't continue to press him. If Sirius wasn't looking forward to the holidays it wouldn't be made better by James constantly pestering him about visits.

* * *

The train journey back to London was a joyful occasion, presents were exchanged and students were giggling and laughing as they tried to guess what their friends had bought for them. 

Remus sat in the corner of the compartment that James had commandeered for the four of them. With James and Sirius stretched along the seats they were hoping that no one would interrupt them whilst they finalised their schemes for the holidays.

In the end all it had taken was James commenting that Sirius was afraid to sneak out for Sirius to agree to one madcap scheme after another for the holiday season.

"So you're all set for coming over New Year's Eve?" Sirius asked James. "You know the plan?"

"Well we've been over it a dozen times mate, so I think I know it by now," replied James as he laughed.

"You _wait_ until you get my signal." Sirius stressed the word wait and Remus smirked as James asked him to define _wait_ for him.

"I got it, I got it," James insisted. "You signal, I come over and keep you company out of the way of your family and their friends."

"Just remember to wait," Sirius sighed. "If you come over too early I'll still be stuck making the rounds of being criticised and being a disappointment and…"

"You're getting high marks in all your classes," Remus pointed out in surprise. "Won't that count for something?"

"The only thing they've had to say to me since September is Slytherin this and Slytherin that. If I was in that house with these marks they'd be pleased enough. But a Gryffindor in the family means that anything else I do won't matter."

"They're letting you come to my house for a couple of days, right?" Remus asked to check yet again although he had seen for himself the parchment the Black family owl had delivered two mornings ago.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "They couldn't find out enough about your family to say they were unsuitable. They're probably hoping to convert your parents to their way of thinking since they aren't known for being muggle-lovers like the Potters."

"My parents won't want anything to do with the dark arts," Remus said with a roll of his eyes.

"We know that but as long as the rest of the Blacks don't I'll be allowed to come and visit."

"You've got the address?" Remus asked as he looked at each of his friends. Peter nodded and Sirius pulled a scrap of parchment from his robes. Only James seemed to have lost the paper in the clutter that he had crammed into his messily packed luggage. Remus shook his head and wrote it out again, this time making sure that James had got the paper safely put away.

"If he loses it again and doesn't turn up, one of us will have to floo over to his place and get him," Sirius said, earning a friendly glare from James.

"Just wait until after we've had choice of the best food," Peter snickered and the others laughed in response.

They arrived at King's Cross Station and Remus saw that his parents were both waiting for him and eager to check that he was okay.

James and Sirius were still on the train but Peter was nearby as he scanned the platform for his father who was picking him up. Remus hovered next to him until Peter let out a shout of recognition and they made their farewells. James and Sirius were still on the train, having intended to let off some dung bombs as a parting gift for those who were lagging behind. Unfortunately they'd forgotten that a lot of the ones lagging behind were the prefects, checking that everyone had their belongings and so forth.

"You waiting for someone?" Remus's mother asked as he looked back at the train just as James hopped off with his luggage. His parents were waiting to help him and they moved away. Sirius was still nowhere in sight.

"We'll miss our connection if we don't hurry," his father said as Remus continued to look back at the train through the light falling of snow that offered the tantalising promise of a white Christmas for London.

"I'm coming," Remus said with a sigh as he waved to James who waved back the piece of paper with his address on. He grinned and called out his goodbyes before following his parents to the muggle platform that would take him on the next leg of his journey home.

"You've been all right?" his mother asked once they were safely cocooned in their next train. "No one suspects?"

"No," Remus replied shaking his head. "But I don't know how I'm going to keep it secret for seven years."

"If you think you can't handle it, you don't have to go there," his mother assured him.

"No, I don't want to leave," Remus exclaimed, the last thing he wanted was for his parents to think that he wanted to leave the school he had dreamed about for so long.

"As long as you're sure?"

"I'm sure," said Remus with a firm nod of his head. "I don't want to leave my friends."

"No one's going to make you leave," his father assured him with a kind smile and Remus settled back in his seat, content to enjoy the holidays and the forthcoming party.


	22. Secrets Revealed

**Part Twenty Two – Secrets Revealed**

Remus sat in the front parlour of the isolated rambling farmhouse that had been his home since he was a small child. His parents had moved here from the city after he'd been bitten, it was a home far removed from prying eyes and there was no possibility of a neighbour hearing strange noises coming from within around the time of the full moon.

He'd asked once why they hadn't stayed in the city and merely put a charm on the house so that no one heard him but his parents had assured him that this way was for the best. Their old house had not been purchased with a view to securing a werewolf within its confines.

He cast a sorrowful glance towards the basement door, securely locked as ever, before turning back towards the window as he waited for his friends to arrive. He knew that James and Peter wouldn't be apparating over with their parents for at least an hour or two and he hadn't heard a word from Sirius since he had left the Hogwart's train.

"You're up early."

Remus turned to his father with a guilty grin, the older man knew that few things could get Remus to move from his bed at such an early hour.

"It's the smell of mum's cooking," Remus said. "I had to come down early to make sure you don't beat me to scraping out the bowl."

"Cheeky."

Remus laughed along with his father as his mother came into the room, a flour smudge on her nose and a smile of satisfaction on her face. "You're up early," she said as she saw Remus, sending both him and his father into more peals of laughter.

* * *

Remus sat down across from his mother as she once again set out the ground rules for the visit.

"The basement is out of bounds," she said in a firm voice that brooked no arguments.

"It's locked, dear," his father pointed out from where he was standing in the doorway.

"Since when has that stopped young boys from wanting to investigate?" Mrs Lupin retorted with a raised brow in the direction of her husband.

"Mum, I know they can't know what's in there," Remus assured her…like he could forget.

"And no playing in the hen coop," Mrs Lupin went on as though he hadn't spoken.

"It was only the once," Remus sighed.

"Let's keep it that way."

"No practising magic," his father interrupted.

"I know," Remus nodded. "That's one of Dumbledore's rules too."

His mother had opened her mouth to launch into the next of the oft-repeated rules, Remus had an inkling the next one was the one about staying out of the nearby woods after dark, when a sound from the parlour drew them all to the other room.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed as he looked at the sooty, grinning boy who was picking himself up from the carpet.

Mrs Lupin looked aghast at her formerly clean carpet before a closer look at the boy and the dark bruise on the side of his face drew her to his side. "I've got just the thing for that," she said as she drew him into the kitchen leaving Remus's father to magically clean the carpet.

Half an hour later Sirius was cleaned up and he and Remus were back in the parlour looking out for their friends.

Remus looked at the bruise on his friend's face and opened his mouth to ask what he wanted to know. He hesitated a moment, wondering whether to risk spoiling his friend's good mood by bringing up a subject that he knew he didn't want to discuss. Eventually though he decided he wanted to know for sure what had happened and if his friend was ever going to trust him it wasn't going to happen if he let him continue to avoid the subject.

"What happened to your face?" Remus blurted out after a quick glance to the door to check his parents weren't around. Sirius's eyes darted in the same direction before he turned back to Remus with a false grin on his face.

"Nothing much, just got in a bit of a fight."

"Who with?"

"No one."

"No one can pack quite a punch," Remus pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," Sirius replied.

"Yes it does," Remus insisted. "Was it your family who did it to you?"

"Just one of them," Sirius finally admitted. "It was my own fault."

"How so?"

"I was misbehaving," Sirius said with a shrug. "You know I do that quite a bit."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they should do that to you. I misbehave but I don't get that sort of punishment."

"Spare the wand and spoil the child," Sirius muttered. "Different parents have different ways of keeping their kids under control. You just got lucky."

"Your parents used magic on you?" Remus looked at his friend in shock.

"Oh not this time," Sirius said as he shook his head. "This was just a back-hander."

"Who gave you a back-hander?" Mrs Lupin asked from the doorway, where she had clearly been standing for long enough to have gathered the gist of the conversation.

"It doesn't matter," Sirius said with a frown.

"Remus go and help your father with the chickens, he thinks he spotted a kneazle lurking near them."

Remus stood up, recognising his mother's tone, and Sirius stood up to follow after him. He didn't get more than a pace or two before Mrs Lupin's hand on his shoulder, guiding him back into his seat stopped him. Remus knew better than to interfere and hoped that his mother could get through to his friend and discover the truth of what had happened.

* * *

Remus only returned to the house when the telltale cracking sounds indicated that James and Peter had arrived.

Back in the parlour James and his parents were seated across from Mrs Lupin and Sirius whilst Peter and his father took off their coats.

"How much stuff have you brought?" Remus asked James as he looked at the huge trunk at the foot of the stairs.

"Just the essentials," James replied. "You didn't tell us you lived on a farm."

"Didn't I? Must have slipped my mind."

"Do you have horses?" Peter asked. "I haven't been riding in years."

"And he's much better on a horse than on a broom," his father joked.

"Well that wouldn't be difficult," Sirius laughed as Peter shot glares in the direction of him and his father.

"You already unpacked Sirius?" James asked with a glance around the room.

"Knew I'd forgotten something," Sirius said as he smacked his hand against his head in mock absentmindedness.

"Good job James has packed enough for a small army," Mrs Potter said. "You two look about the same size."

"Would you like me to send an owl to your parents and get them to send some things on to you here?" Mr Lupin asked.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Mrs Lupin said with a smile at Sirius who Remus noticed looked rather horrified at the thought of an owl going to his parents. Remus frowned slightly and wondered if his parents even knew where he was. He made a point to ask him later.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after James's parents and Peter's father had left the boys were riding four of the Lupin horses along the nearby lanes.

Peter and James were determined to outdo each other, and despite the fact that James had never been on a horse on his life he was giving Peter a run for his money.

Sirius on the other hand was happy for once to let the others go on ahead and remain behind with Remus who was riding at a more leisurely pace.

"You never mentioned you mum was a muggle," Sirius commented with a sideways glance at Remus.

"It never came up," Remus muttered.

"I'm not my parents," Sirius said. "You think I care who your parents are?"

"Of course not," Remus said, not having seen that his remaining quiet about his home life and his family in order to protect his secret had resulted in his friends not knowing that he was a half-blood.

"So why didn't you tell us?"

"Why didn't you tell us that you parents use magic on you to punish you?" Remus countered.

"It never came up," Sirius shot back. "I guess we've both been hiding things we should've been honest about. So no more secrets?"

"No more secrets," Remus replied, even as he knew that there would still be that one big secret stopping him from being truly honest with his friends.

"You know we thought your parents might have been like mine," Sirius said as they continued down on the lane. "All those injuries after you came back to school following the family emergencies."

"I might have had the occasional punishment but they'd never do that."

"I know that now," Sirius said. "But where did you get the injuries from if it wasn't from your parents?"

"We live on a farm," Remus said with a shrug. "Not all the animals are as placid as the horses, some of them take a bit of a dislike to having boys around them."

It wasn't entirely a lie, Remus reasoned with himself. Some of the animals seemed to be able to sense that there was something different about him, especially around the time of the full moon, and one or two of them had injured him when he'd got too close. Sirius and the others didn't need to know that it wasn't the case with his injuries at school.

"You don't seem to have any injuries at the moment," Sirius commented.

"I'm being more careful these days," Remus said, knowing that Sirius wasn't buying his story. "You might have noticed my mum's a bit of a worrier."

"She's nice," Sirius said. "She knows my parents don't know I'm here and she's not going to send me back or tell them."

"They don't know you're here?" Remus asked, surprised that Sirius had offered that information without his having asked. "But you had permission to come over…I saw the letter."

"They changed their mind a few days ago. I sort of let slip that James was going to be here and that was that. I could tell you guessed they didn't know when your father suggested sending an owl. I know you've been dying to ask me all morning. I left in a bit of a hurry and that's why my luggage is still at home. I was going to pack and sneak out whilst they were out shopping with my brother Regulus but then he decided to stay home and I had to make a run for it."

"I can't believe my mum would just let you stay without your parents knowing," Remus said in confusion. "That's not like her."

"Well we had a long talk this morning and I think she understands that while she might worry about where her son is, my parents probably won't even notice I'm gone. And I told her that I did leave a note for them with your address."

"Did you?" Remus asked.

"I meant to, but like I said I left in a bit of a hurry. Anyway, if they really want to find me it won't be that hard to do, they already know your name and once my mother's calmed down she'll figure out where I am. With her temper I'll probably be back home way before she tracks me down."

Remus shook his head with a grin.

"You're not going to tell on me are you?" Sirius asked.

Remus thought about it for only a second before shaking his head and wiping the look of worry from his friend's face.

* * *

That night the four friends were all camped out in Remus's spacious attic room, sleeping bags on the floor and a pile of cakes and biscuits from the kitchen stacked between them.

"So what's in the basement?" James asked as he tucked into an iced bun.

"Just my parents' stuff," Remus replied, not surprised that James had spotted that there was a room missing from the earlier tour of the rambling farmhouse.

"Spells and potions and stuff?" James asked with delighted interest. "Can we see in there tomorrow?"

"I'm not allowed in there," Remus said with a shake of his head.

"But if you mum or dad comes in with us it'd be okay," James pointed out. "We only want a quick look inside."

"You can ask, but the answer will be no," Remus said as he beat Sirius to the last of the chocolate fingers.

"I bet there's lots of neat stuff in there," James said. "Potions and spell books, and weird magical animals."

"There aren't any animals down there," Remus said, save for the monthly visits he himself made. "Just some old furniture, and junk. No magical stuff."

"If it's just junk why can't we go take a look? Peter asked. "Better us breaking junk down in the basement, than your parents' nice furniture in the rest of the house."

"Yeah," James agreed.

"Leave it alone," Sirius finally said. "Remus has said he's not allowed in there so we'll leave it at that. There's plenty to do here anyway."

Remus shot Sirius a grateful look before changing the topic to the safer one of Christmas presents.

* * *

Later that night Remus lay awake, looking out of his roof window towards the far from full moon. The familiar sounds of soft snores told him that James and Peter were asleep but that Sirius, like himself was not.

"I'll figure it out eventually, you know," Sirius said.

Remus stayed silent, his head turned away from the other boy.

"I've trusted you with my secret," Sirius continued in a quiet whisper so as not to wake the others. "Is it that you don't want Peter or James to know? I won't tell them if you don't want me to."

Remus turned over onto his back and looked across at Sirius.

"I know Peter can be a bit of an idiot, and James has a bit of a mouth on him…"

"Understatements of the year," Remus commented with a roll of his eyes.

"…but you can trust me. Wouldn't you rather just tell me now and save worrying yourself over when I'm going to figure it out?"

"I can't," Remus whispered.

"So there is a secret you're keeping from us." It wasn't a question but Remus nodded in response.

"I'll figure it out eventually," Sirius repeated when it was obvious Remus wasn't going to tell him anything else.

"I know you will," Remus finally answered. "And I dread the day you do," he added under his breath, unsure whether Sirius had heard him or not.


	23. An Unwanted Visitor

**Part Twenty Three – An Unwanted Visitor**

Remus finally fell asleep in the early hours just before dawn but his sleep was fitful and uncomfortable, plagued with nightmares of James and Peter venturing into the basement and running in horror as they saw what he was. Sirius in his dreams didn't run from him, instead he looked sadly at him and turned his back with the parting words of regret that he hadn't trusted him enough, that he hadn't been a true friend.

He woke up with cry of "don't leave" and looked about the room in horror. James and Peter were gone from the room and the sounds of laughter drifting up from the kitchen below signalled where they were.

Sirius on the other hand was still in the room, and had clearly heard Remus's words.

Remus sat in silence, terrified of what he might have called out in his sleep, had he given away his secret?

Sirius had a look on his face that puzzled Remus, a look of concern and a look of realisation. Did he know?

"You're too late," Sirius finally said with his old grin returning to his face. "Your mum's cooking has lured them away already, they left us half an hour ago."

Remus laughed and crawled out of the sleeping bag, his mind a little more at ease, if not entirely settled.

Sirius finished rolling up his sleeping bag and waited for Remus to do likewise. Finally they were ready to go down to breakfast themselves.

"I won't tell them," Sirius said as they reached the doorway.

"Tell them what?" Remus asked, his fear returning tenfold.

"Your secret," Sirius replied.

"I told you, I can't tell you," Remus whispered, the memory of the dreams still fresh in his mind.

"You will one day," Sirius asked. "When you trust us enough, you'll tell us yourself. And until then I'll help keep James and Peter from hassling you about it."

"You're not mad that I'm keeping something from you?" Remus asked, chewing his bottom lip as he waited for Sirius's answer.

"No," Sirius replied after a moment of thought. "Just a bit hurt that after all I've told you about my secrets, you still don't trust me."

"Would it make any difference if I told you I'd be in a lot of trouble if I told you?"

"A bit," Sirius answered with a grin. "But if you got into a heap of trouble it'd mean you'd be just like the rest of us."

"It'd make trouble for a lot of people besides me though," Remus admitted. "My parents and Dumbledore would be really disappointed in me."

"You're one of the best students in the year," Sirius scoffed. "How can they be disappointed in you just for telling your best friend a tiny little secret?"

"It's not a tiny little secret," Remus said as he reached past Sirius for the door handle. "If it was I'd tell you."

"I know," Sirius replied as he stepped into Remus's way, blocking his exit to safety away from his questions.

"I'm sorry," Remus said, shaking his head and avoiding his friend's questioning gaze.

Sirius waited a minute more before stepping away from the door. "Me too," he said as Remus walked past.

"What are you sorry for?" Remus asked as he walked down the staircase.

"I'm sorry that you don't trust me enough yet, and I'm sorry that I'm hassling you more than Peter and James combined, and I'm sorry that you…"

Sirius's next words were cut off by the sound of raised voices downstairs. Remus looked at Sirius and saw that his face had paled considerably. "Look's like my mother's found me sooner than I thought she would."

"Where is he?" the shrill voice echoed through the house. Remus shivered at the sound but didn't move from his spot on the stairs. Sirius was rooted to the spot just a couple of steps higher, his hands gripping the banister so tightly his knuckles were white.

Neither of the two boys moved from the stairs until they heard the sound of footsteps below. Remus moved down a couple more steps before halting when his mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"You didn't leave a note for your parents, did you?" she asked Sirius who shook his head dumbly in reply.

"I didn't think so," Mrs Lupin said as she beckoned them down the stairs. "I wanted to believe you had but we both know I didn't. I just didn't want to send you back home to someone who'd deliberately hurt her own son."

"It's okay," Sirius replied. "I wanted to stay and the lie meant we could both pretend things were alright for a day."

"He doesn't have to go home does he?" Remus asked as the raised voices downstairs drew nearer.

"If his mother agrees, he can stay," Mrs Lupin said although her tone betrayed her doubts that this was even a remote possibility. A telltale snort from Sirius showed that he was equally sceptical.

The sound of something breaking quickened Mrs Lupin's pace and Remus followed close behind her, Sirius reluctantly following at the rear.

"There you are!" Mrs Black yelled, her wand that she had clearly been using to shatter ornaments in the living room swinging round to aim in the direction of her wayward son. Dressed entirely in black and with a sneer on her face, she was an imposing figure in the cosy room.

"As you can see, your son's perfectly well," Mr Lupin interjected from where he was trying unsuccessfully to calm down the irate woman who was systematically destroying their living room.

"Get over here!" Mrs Black yelled, her voice at a slightly lower volume but still much louder than was necessary.

Remus looked at his friend and saw that he was shaking slightly. "Mum?" Remus whispered and Mrs Lupin turned round to see what was wrong.

James and Peter stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen, looks of trepidation on their faces. Remus knew just what they were thinking. It was one thing to know that their friend had a bad home life and a horrible mother. It was quite another to see her for themselves, and none of them wanted to sit back and watch their friend go back home to the sort of punishments they could only imagine.

"We invited Sirius for the weekend," Mrs Lupin said, stepping forward towards the irate witch. "We're happy to have him here, and you're welcome to stay and ensure that it's okay to leave him with us."

"_Silencio_," Mrs Black yelled, turning her wand on Mrs Lupin who found her voice gone. "The Blacks don't take advice from filthy muggles."

Remus narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists as his mother stepped into the path between Mrs Black and Sirius. Sirius drew a gasp of breath, the first sound he'd made since entering the room.

Remus looked towards his father, and saw the look of fury on his face, it was a look he'd only seen on rare occasions in the past and he was thankful he'd never seen it aimed in his own direction. Now it was focused on Sirius's mother. "_Expelliarmus_," he shouted as he pulled out his own wand and aimed it at Mrs Black. Her wand shot from her hand and Remus grinned at the look of surprise on her face.

"Sirius is staying here for the weekend," Mr Lupin declared in a deathly quiet voice. "You can come and collect him tomorrow evening and if you're behaving in a civilised manner I'll let him leave with you. If you're not he'll stay here and I'll be contacting the Ministry of Magic about the illegal use of spells on minors."

Mrs Black glared at Remus's father who firmly stood his ground. Remus held his breath as Mrs Black assessed her position. Finally she gave a firm nod and gestured to her wand. Mr Lupin nodded and she moved to pick it up.

"If you don't mind," Mr Lupin gestured to his wife and Mrs Black turned back and muttered the counter-curse before apparating out of the room with a pop.

"She backed down," Sirius stated, shock and surprise on his face.

"Bullies usually do," Mr Lupin said as he put his wand away and turned to his wife. "Are you okay?"

Mrs Lupin nodded before testing her voice had returned. "You know I hate that spell," she said with a smile.

"You've had it used on you before?" Remus asked, curious about when that had been.

"Once," Mrs Lupin said with a smile. "Your father wanted to explain to me about the wizarding world and my constant questions were stopping him. He decided a demonstration was in order."

"It was the quietest your mother's ever been," Remus's father loudly whispered.

Remus laughed as they all headed into the kitchen for breakfast.

The boys spent the rest of the morning exploring the picturesque village five miles away from the farmhouse. Remus hadn't entirely forgotten his conversation that morning with Sirius but he knew he'd come dangerously close to telling him his secret and knew that the less that was said, the better off he'd be.

He hoped that Sirius had forgotten their discussion but the occasional questioning glance in his direction told him that he hadn't but that he was keeping to his word not to try to prise the information out of him.

A small part of him wondered if Sirius had figured out his secret entirely, he was unaware of just how much he had said in his sleep and wondered if he had given himself away completely. But surely if he had, Sirius would have said something, it was too big a secret for him not to say a word?

But he couldn't ask him without the others overhearing, and without risking his own impulse to blurt out the truth. Furthermore he knew that if he didn't push the whole matter from his mind it would still be lingering in his thoughts when he went to sleep that night; the last thing he wanted was for his nightmares to return, and with them the risk of exposing his secret.

So he made a concerted effort to clear his mind of all his worries as he showed his friends the village. They then made their way back to the farm before the rain that had been forecast for the afternoon arrived.


	24. An Owl from Lily

**Part Twenty Four – An Owl from Lily **

The promised rain arrived at almost the same moment that the boys stepped into the farmhouse.

"Just missed it," James said as he flung himself down onto the sofa, looking out of the window as the downpour began.

Remus hung up their coats, their robes having been too conspicuous to wear in the muggle populated village, and joined the others in the living room.

"You're back then?" Remus looked up as his father came into the room a few minutes later. Dripping water all over the carpet it was clear that he had not been quite as lucky as the youngsters in avoiding the start of what promised to be a violent storm.

"My carpet!"

Remus looked up at the exclamation from his mother, standing in the doorway and glaring at the muddy water splattered over the floor. Remus's father shrugged and gave a sheepish smile before pulling out his wand in order to clear up the mess he had made.

"Well how about you boys come and make yourselves useful in the study?" Mr Lupin suggested as soon as he realised that the boys didn't appear to have anything with which to occupy themselves. "I want to get some new shelves put up and could use some help getting things moved."

Remus shrugged and stood up, wondering whether his friends would agree to help. It wasn't the most exciting way to spend the afternoon after all. A quick glance at the others revealed that his worries were unfounded as James got up from the sofa and stretched as though preparing for some heavy manual labour. Sirius was already nearly past him on his way to the door to the study with Peter close behind.

Breathing a small sigh of relief Remus followed the others into the study where Mr Lupin soon set them with tasks to keep them occupied throughout the afternoon. Remus spotted James raise his eyebrows towards Sirius as they browsed the contents of the bookshelves and noticed the rather large number of books about topics he hoped they wouldn't bring up. A well-worn copy of_ The Dangers of Werewolves_ was rather noticeable and Remus seized the first opportunity he could to grab it from the shelf and place it well out sight of the prying eyes of his friends.

The afternoon passed with cheerfulness and laughter as the boys found magical surprises, some pleasant, some not so much in the cupboards they were sorting out whilst Mr Lupin recounted tales of his youth and his travels to other areas of the world.

Remus barely noticed the time until a tapping noise drew his gaze to the window of the study. The sky outside had darkened through both the raging storm and the late hour and it was hard to see the small owl persistently tapping the window in an effort to be heard above the howling wind.

Pulling the catch up Remus let in the owl and reached for envelope it carried.

"What's that you've got?" James asked as he came over to help shut the window that was now blowing in the wind.

"Looks like a Christmas card," Remus said with a frown. He'd already received cards for everyone at Hogwarts that he was expecting one from; most students had exchanged cards and gifts before going home for the holidays.

"Well open it and find out who it's from," Sirius urged as the other boys, and Remus's father stepped closer.

Curious himself, Remus tore open the envelope as the owl perched itself on the desk, patiently waiting for someone to remember to feed him after his long journey.

"It's from Lily," Remus exclaimed with a puzzled frown as he opened the letter that was tucked within the card.

"Lily Evans?" Sirius asked. Remus looked up at and saw his surprised expression, one that he was sure mirrored his own.

"Who's Lily?" asked Mrs Lupin as she came into the room.

"She a muggle-born girl who's in Gryffindor with us," Peter supplied, as Remus skimmed through the short letter which expressed Lily's disappointment at not being able to give him his card personally. It had apparently been missed at the end of term rush, and her delight at the novelty of sending Christmas cards by owl post for the first time.

"It was nice of her to send the card on," Mrs Lupin said as she took it from Remus with a smile and went to put it on display with the others in the living room.

"She's all right," said Remus, following after her, his friends close behind.

"Just an odd taste in friends," Sirius chimed in with a snort.

"Hey!" Remus shot him a glare.

"I didn't mean you, mate," Sirius replied with a laugh. "I was talking about _Snivellus_."

Mr Lupin frowned at that and raised an eyebrow in Remus's direction. Even though he had never once used the name himself he felt himself flush in embarrassment.

The uneasy silence dragged on until a subtle, questioning cough from Mrs Lupin drew Remus's attention away from the toes of his shoes and back to his parents.

"Erm…" Remus started with a pleading glance at Sirius and James who were suddenly finding it hard to meet either his eyes or those of his parents.

"He's a Slytherin," James finally said with a slight sneer to his tone.

"Slytherin?" Mrs Lupin asked with a confused frown.

"It's one of the school houses," Mr Lupin said by way of explanation. "Historically the one that all the dark wizards have been in."

"His names Severus Snape," Remus mumbled in a quiet voice. "He's a first year like us."

"He's a creep," Sirius interjected. "Look at what he did when he meddled with the potions and rotted James' and Peter's teeth."

"He did what?" Mr Lupin asked as he looked from one boy to another as they all nodded in the affirmative. "And he did that for no reason at all?"

Suddenly his shoes were far more interesting again and Remus rubbed at the back of his neck, reluctant to mention any of the pranks that they had been pulling on not only Severus but also on other unsuspecting victims throughout the term.

"I see," Mr Lupin finally said. Remus finally looked his father in the eye and had the uneasy feeling that he did see, far more than he would have liked him to.

"I hope that we aren't going to be receiving unexpected owls from the headmaster Remus," Mrs Lupin said in a stern tone, clearly having come to the same conclusion as her husband as to what had been happening during the term.

Remus shook his head in reply and his parents seemed appeased.

"One of my best friends from school was in Slytherin," Mr Lupin commented as he sat down at the dinner table a short while later. "He's works quite high up in the Ministry these days, been a great help to us in recent years."

Remus looked up with a frown before realising who it was that his father was talking about and realising that it was probably partially thanks to his father's Slytherin school friend that he was even allowed to attend Hogwarts. Dumbledore couldn't have pulled the strings all on his own.

"Severus can't be all bad, not if Lily likes him," he said to James and the others who nodded begrudgingly.

"You should never judge someone just because of the house they were sorted into," Mr Lupin advised. "The whole sorting system has caused nothing but trouble since the day it was introduced to the school. For all you know this Severus might have a lot in common with you boys. He certainly sounds like he's as smart as you."

Remus nodded dutifully, though he noticed the doubtful expressions on the faces of his friends, and suspected things wouldn't change that much when they returned to school.

His father had said what he himself had wanted to say since James and Sirius had begun their campaign against Severus and he hoped that he would find the courage to voice his own opinions, and have them heard, if the need arose.

But even so a small part of him hoped that they would merely leave Severus alone and that he would never have to stand up to them and tell them to back off of the other boy.

He remained quiet as the talk over dinner moved onto more enjoyable and safer subjects and all too soon it was over and time for his friends to return home.


	25. The Black House

**Part Twenty Five – The Black House **

Peter's father was the first to arrive to collect his son from the Lupin household with James's parents arriving not too long after.

"See you New Year's Eve," James whispered so that only his friends could hear before he took hold of his father's arm to apparate alongside him. Sirius nodded and grinned in response.

Remus wondered at the sense of Sirius's plans for the New Year. The Black family always held a New Year's Eve party and each year they tried to outdo the equally old and noble Malfoy family who held their own annual party on Christmas Eve.

As a wizarding family that was vocal in their support of the rights of muggles and muggle-born wizards, the Potters were invited to neither gathering. Sirius however had other plans this year and at his insistence both James and Remus were planning on visiting the Black house on New Year's Eve. Peter unfortunately explained he had to decline the invitation, his own family having their own plans for that particular night. He had flushed in embarrassment at Sirius's suggestion that he was scared of the danger that would be involved in sneaking into the house but had not changed his mind.

Remus could admit to himself, if not to his friends, that he was not particularly enthusiastic himself about the idea of visiting Grimmauld Place, especially in light of Sirius's mother's earlier visit.

Sirius had worked hard to convince Remus's parents that his own family would be delighted for Sirius's friends to visit on New Year's Eve and keep their son company. Remus suspected that his mother was not entirely convinced but she had eventually relented long enough to nod her agreement that Remus could attend for a couple of hours, providing there was no more trouble from Mrs Black when she came to collect her son.

James and Peter had long gone when Mrs Black finally apparated into the front yard just after sunset.

Sirius looked up from the game of exploding snap at the cracking sound that announced his mother's arrival. Remus saw his friend pale slightly as he looked out of the window and saw the formidable woman advancing down the path.

"Thought maybe she'd forgotten me," Sirius whispered with forced humour.

Mrs Lupin put down her book and walked across to the boys, patting Sirius reassuringly on the shoulder while her husband went to open the front door.

"Is he ready?" Mrs Black asked in a sharp tone that bordered on rude as she stalked into the room.

Sirius stood up with a barely hidden sigh of annoyance.

"Can Remus visit on New Year's Eve?" he asked, and Remus felt himself half hoping that the answer would be no. Somehow an evening spent in the company of Sirius's family didn't seem like a good idea any more. He chided himself almost immediately for his uncharitable thoughts. After all, if he and James didn't visit Sirius the other boy would have nothing to look forward to at New Year at all.

Mrs Black looked directly at Remus and he shifted slightly in his seat as her assessing gaze moved from him to his parents. Her gaze rested on Mr Lupin for several minutes before she finally spoke.

"If he must," Mrs Black sneered. "But not that Potter boy."

"Course not," Sirius replied, having expected as much and already having plotted a way to sneak James into the house via the floo network. He gave Remus a quick wink that only he could see before stepping outside in order to apparate home with his mother.

"I'm still not sure I like the idea of you going to that woman's house," Mrs Lupin said a few minutes later.

"It's only for a few hours," Remus replied; he'd been expecting as much. "And I'll be able to check on Sirius and see that he's okay."

"Remus is right," Mr Lupin commented. "We also don't want to risk offending the Blacks by not letting Remus attend now he's been invited. They're a very old family and not one to get on the wrong side of."

Remus looked at his mother who had paled considerably. He could tell what she was thinking, what his father had realised, and what had completely slipped past him until now. Offending people in the wizarding world could result in consequences they would rather not imagine. Consequences like a young boy becoming a werewolf. For the sake of a few hours they would entrust their son to the Black household rather than risk even more devastating havoc in their lives.

"I'll be careful," Remus said. "It's only for a few hours and I'll just be hanging out with Sirius. They wouldn't dare to anything to us in front of a house full of people."

Mrs Lupin nodded although her look of worry didn't entirely vanish. Again Remus wondered if it might not have been better had Sirius never come up with the idea of his friends attending the party at all.

* * *

New Year's Eve was chilly but clear and Remus pushed aside all the negative thoughts about the party. Nothing would go wrong; there was nothing to worry about just so long as James didn't get caught sneaking into the house.

Remus arrived at Grimmauld Place early in the evening via the floo network. He was relieved to see only Sirius and a slightly younger boy in the kitchen waiting to greet him. He silently hoped that the rest of the evening would also pass without his having to see Mrs Black.

"Mum's in the drawing room," Sirius said in answer to Remus's unspoken question. "The family arrived early and they're all in there discussing tactics for the evening."

"You make it sound like they're going into battle," laughed Remus as he dusted soot off of his clothes.

"It's like this every year," Sirius said. "Isn't it Reg?"

"My name's Regulus," the younger boy replied, in a tone that suggested he'd said the words on other occasions. Sirius rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Come on Remus, I'll show you round. We'll just hang out upstairs." He casually highlighted a new, very visible bruise, which would prevent him from appearing in public. Remus could tell that he wasn't particularly bothered about missing the party.

"I've already ordered Kreacher to bring us some food as soon as he starts serving the guests," Sirius continued as he checked the hallway was clear.

"Kreacher?" Remus asked.

"Our house elf," Sirius explained. "Come on, this way. You coming Reg?"

Regulus shook his head in reply, his nose buried in a book that Remus could see had a rather gruesome illustration on the page it was open at.

"Christmas presents weren't that much of a surprise," Sirius said as he caught Remus's glance. "Though I think mine may have some uses after all…"

Remus raised an eyebrow in question and followed Sirius upstairs.

"Regulus has been sitting in the kitchen for hours," Sirius complained as soon as the door was shut behind him. "If I didn't know better I'd swear he knew that James was going to sneak in and was waiting to catch us."

"Well you told James to wait for your signal," Remus pointed out. "He won't come over until you give him the all clear."

"If I can't get Regulus out of the way, I can't send him a signal and he'll come on his own."

"You're right," agreed Remus. "He's not exactly patient. But what did you mean about the Christmas present?"

"Another classic for the Black sheep of the Black family," Sirius groaned. "Dark Curses for All Occasions, Seventh Edition. There's got to be something in here to get Regulus out of the kitchen."

"You'd curse your own brother?" Remus asked in shock.

"Well not anything too bad," Sirius assured him. "Just something to get him out of the way long enough for James to get here."

Remus looked about Sirius's room as his friend continued to flick through the book, stopping here and there as something caught his attention. The contrast to his own attic bedroom was startling. His own room was comfortable, cluttered and filled with all his personal belonging, the latest addition to the mess being the spacious cage for his new owl. Sirius's bedroom on the other hand seemed to contain few personal possessions at all. The room was a dark and dreary room and Remus had a suspicion that it was not just the late hour that made it so. He wondered if perhaps it was because he now knew how unhappy Sirius was there.

The furniture in the room looked expensive but there was nothing personal about it, nothing to show that Sirius had left his mark on the room. It didn't seem like a place where he'd want to spend much time. Little wonder Sirius hadn't been looking forward to the holidays.

As Sirius continued to skim through the book Remus wandered over to the tall window and looked down onto the street below. The view was a stark contrast to the woods and fields that he could see from his own home.

The sound of a bang drew his attention back into the room. Sirius had tossed his Christmas present aside and had now pulled out another book from the small shelf under the bedside table.

Sirius caught him looking around the room and grinned. "I've got a couple of Gryffindor banners to put up, just as soon as I figure out a way to display them without any way for my parents to take them down again as soon as they see them."

"They'll love that," Remus commented wryly.

"I'm counting on it," Sirius replied, smirking slightly, before opening the next book.

"I think I've got one," Sirius finally said with a wicked grin as his search finally garnered results.

Remus turned back to his friend and wondered just what he had in store for his younger brother.


	26. New Year Escapades

**Part Twenty Six – New Year Escapades **

"What are you going to do to him?" Remus asked, looking apprehensively at the book Sirius had now tossed aside.

"Just a little hex to get him out of the kitchen," Sirius replied.

"You're not going to hurt him or anything are you?"

"No, he'll be fine, just not in the kitchen and in the way."

"You're sure?" Remus asked, more worried than he wanted to admit to his friend about the idea of hexing someone else, just to get them out of the way.

"Pretty sure," Sirius replied as he opened the door, Remus close at his heels.

The noise from the party was louder than it had been just a short while before. Guests were making their way from where they had flooed into the kitchen to the main room or alternatively arriving at the front door where they were greeted by Mrs Black who was at her most superior as she welcomed the Malfoys.

"Why are the Malfoys here?" Remus asked in a loud whisper. "They look like they'd rather be anywhere else."

"Mum invited them so that she can show off what a great party this is to the people she wants to outdo. They're here so that if it turns out to be the bash of the year, they won't have missed it. Same reason mum went to their manor on Christmas Eve." Sirius snorted as he and Remus looked down over the stair railings as Lucius Malfoy greeted Narcissa Black. Sirius put a finger into his mouth and pulled a face and Remus clasped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Who's that with the Malfoys?" Remus asked, pointing to a tall hooded figure who was standing slightly apart from the others, casting a sweeping glance around the rest of the visitors.

"I don't know," answered Sirius, curiosity evident in his tone as he leaned over the railings to get a better view of the stranger.

Remus leaned over too and felt an involuntary shiver down his spine as the stranger's eyes met his for a few uncomfortable seconds before continuing on in his assessment of the room.

Sirius waited until all the guests who had been mingling in the hallway had gone into the main room before descending the stairs and heading back towards the kitchen. Remus followed behind him, his unease at the stranger combining with his unease at Sirius's idea to get Regulus out of the kitchen.

The hallway was completely deserted and at first glance Remus thought the kitchen was too. Regulus had moved from the seat he had occupied at the time of his arrival but unfortunately for him he hadn't left the room entirely. Instead he was now rummaging around the larder with the determination of a boy who was anxious to find the delicious snacks that he knew were hiding there, just out of sight.

Remus stood slightly behind Sirius as the other boy pulled out his wand.

"We aren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts," Remus quietly hissed to Sirius in a last ditch attempt to persuade him of the biggest flaw in his great plan.

Sirius hesitated a moment and Remus thought for a few relieved seconds that he'd managed to talk him out of his plan. But his hopes were dashed when Sirius shrugged, muttered "who's to know?" and with a quick glance towards the main room again, slipped into the kitchen pointed his wand towards Regulus and quietly muttered the hex.

He didn't wait around to see Regulus figure out what he'd done and ducked out of the kitchen a split second later, pulling Remus along with him and back up the stairs to the landing above.

"What did you do to him?" Remus whispered with a worried glance back towards the kitchen.

"You'll see," Sirius replied with an expression of eager anticipation across his face.

Remus didn't have to wait for long before Regulus came running out of the kitchen and sped down the hallway towards one of the other rooms.

"What's in there?" Remus asked as Sirius started to laugh.

"The bathroom," he replied between guffaws.

"You've not made him sick have you?"

"No, he's okay, look, here he comes."

Remus looked towards the door Regulus had dashed through and sure enough he was emerging and looked well, with no harm visible that they could see. Regulus was walking back towards the kitchen when he stopped suddenly, and a pained looked spread over his face before he turned and ran back to the bathroom. Sirius laughed loudly as he explained that the hex would last several hours and would force Regulus to keep returning to the lavatory for the whole of that time. Remus felt his mouth twitching as an involuntary grin threatened to erupt, and when Regulus emerged only to run back for a third time he could not hold back the laughter any more.

Sirius managed to pull himself together long enough to creep down to the kitchen and signal James while Remus waited for him to return on the upstairs landing.

Sirius emerged from the kitchen a minute or two later and quickly ran back up the stairs.

Frowning, Remus followed Sirius back into his room.

"Aren't you worried you're going to get into trouble?" Remus asked. "Your mum…"

His voice trailed off as he took in Sirius's appearance again. On closer inspection Remus could tell that the bruises were not the same ones as he had had the last time he'd seen him. It seemed that the Black family punishments were alarmingly frequent.

Sirius caught Remus's pointed look and shrugged good-naturedly, brushing his hand across one of the more visible bruises as though checking it were still there.

"Who's going to tell her?"

"If that hex lasts a few hours then surely Regulus will say something?" Remus pointed out.

Sirius shrugged again. Clearly he was far less worried about the consequences than Remus was.

"So what about James?" Remus asked. "Don't you think you should warn him not to come?"

"What for?" Sirius replied, plainly at a loss to understand why Remus would even think such a thing. "His own family's party's started but he's going to try and come over when the band has started playing. He thinks he should be able to floo over in about half an hour. I'll go down then and get him."

"What do you suggest we do until then?" asked Remus, hoping that Sirius wasn't minded to join the main party downstairs.

"Well I thought you might have had second thoughts about telling me what's been going on with you all year," Sirius suggested.

Remus felt his stomach do flip flops and suddenly joining the party seemed a far more preferable idea.

* * *

Half an hour later and Remus had once again successfully steered the conversation away from his absences from Hogwarts. He had navigated his way through questions about his 'flimsy excuses' and unexplained injuries but knew that he had far from convinced Sirius of the truth of his explanations.

In the days since he'd returned home it was clear that Sirius had had a lot of time on his hands. And that he'd spent considerable hours contemplating his visit to the Lupin farm, before arriving at the quite correct conclusion that Remus had been far from truthful in his account of certain events since his arrival at Hogwarts in September.

And now unfortunately for both of them Sirius's questioning had the consequence that they both rather lost track of the time until Remus pointed out that the fireworks had started.

"Fireworks?" Sirius said in response to Remus's comment that he thought he'd heard one. A loud bang confirmed this and Sirius suddenly dashed for the stairs to go meet James.

"James, no!" Remus heard Sirius hiss loudly from where he waited in the bedroom. This was followed closely by the unmistakable voice of James calling out "you'll pay for that!"

Sirius and James entered the room and the look of fury on their faces was enough to make Remus extremely thankful that their anger was not directed at him.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked from one to the other. "Did Regulus catch you?"

"No, it was _Snivellus_," Sirius said as he shut the door behind them. "He only sent James straight to the main party, the little git!"

Remus looked at his friends calmly. The first thought that sprang to mind was how Severus would know not to send James to the room where everyone was. But one look at the furious faces before him and he knew that his reasoning would be falling on deaf ears. And so once again he kept his own counsel and steered the conversation back to the safer subjects.


	27. Andromeda

**Part Twenty Seven – Andromeda **

Within another half an hour both James and Sirius were getting restless and the amusement that came from watching Regulus dashing back and forth in the hallway had worn thin.

Sirius had called Kreacher who had provided them with some snacks from the party but they had soon dwindled to mere crumbs and the idea of crashing the party to get some more food had been brought up more than once.

"Why don't you wait up here, and me and Sirius can go get some more food for us all?" Remus suggested to James. "It's his house and I'm invited. If we're quick…"

"Where's the danger in that?" James replied with a grin. "No point in my crashing the party if I'm not going to actually crash it."

"Or we could just ask Kreacher to get some more?" Remus suggested, without too much hope of their agreeing. Sirius and James just looked at him and continued to plot how to get James into the party and out again without being spotted.

They were about to head out of the room to put their half-baked plan into operation when the door to the bedroom quietly opened. James moved like lightening off of the bed and crouched down on the floor against the far wall, out of sight of whoever was about to come into the room.

The door opened slowly to reveal an older girl who Remus recognised immediately as Sirius's cousin, Andromeda.

"Thought you boys might be getting hungry again," Andromeda said as she offered Sirius and Remus the tray of snacks that she was carrying. She closed the door behind her with her foot and swung a wizard wireless she was carrying off of her shoulder and onto the sideboard. She then looked over at the far side of the room where James was hiding. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look of apprehension.

"You'd better come grab some food James, before this pair scoff it all," Andromeda called out with a grin as she pulled a chair out from the desk and waited for the hidden James to appear.

"How did you know?" Sirius asked around a mouthful of cake as James stood up and taking Andromeda's advice grabbed one too.

Andromeda rolled her eyes in reply.

"Does mum know?" Sirius questioned, and Remus was relieved that he at least sounded slightly worried about the possible repercussions of his plans.

"No, she's too busy playing hostess," Andromeda replied. "I just figured out something was going on when every time I went into the hall for a break from Narcissa fawning over Lucius, I saw poor Regulus running back and forth to the bathroom. What did you do to him?"

"Er…" Sirius began with a sheepish look.

"Hexed him, right?" Andromeda shook her head and tutted in disapproval. "I just had to figure out why and since you've been inseparable from James all term I took a guess that he might be here."

"You're not going to tell on us are you?" Remus asked, his own cake forgotten in his hand, his appetite momentarily gone.

"She won't tell," Sirius said with a certain shake of his head. "Will you?"

"Nah," Andromeda confirmed. "That'd involve actually having to go back in there and putting up with Narcissa, and even worse – Lucius, for even longer."

"You really should go take the hex off Regulus though, a few of the guests were wanting to use the bathroom when I came up here. And some were looking in nearly as much pain as he is."

Sirius laughed but didn't look like he was going to move towards the door.

"It'll wear off soon," James pointed out.

"There'll be some accidents in the front hall _soon_," Andromeda replied. At this Sirius finally went to put his younger brother to rights, leaving the others to find a decent station to listen to on the wireless.

Sirius returned a few minutes later to confirm that the queue for the bathroom was moving again and Regulus had joined the main party.

For the next two hours the four of them talked, laughed and listened to the wireless while finishing off several plates full of food which Andromeda readily offered to fetch for them. Sirius did offer to go for the fourth restock but Andromeda's kindly gesture to his bruises and wordless understanding stopped him in his tracks

"Let me guess," James asked after she had disappeared out the door. "Her parents have similar ideas about punishment?"

"Probably," muttered Sirius, clearly eager to change the subject.

"My parents would never punish me like that," James commented.

"Lucky you," Sirius mumbled, just loud enough to sound bitter.

Remus drew in a sharp breath; he didn't want his two best friends to start fighting and he could sense that if he didn't intervene that might just be the case. But before he could figure out what to say, it seemed that James had realised the tactlessness of his words.

"Sorry you got a raw deal, mate. How about we make a deal that you share my parents? They'd spoil you just as much as me."

Sirius's face broke into a wide grin. "Things aren't that bad here," he laughed. "I can handle it…providing I can sneak over to the Potter house every holiday."

"I really should be sneaking back about now," said James with obvious reluctance. "Who wants to check if the kitchen's clear?"

"I'll go," Remus offered, already moving towards the door. "Back in a minute."

There were no arguments from Sirius or James and Remus headed to the kitchen to see if it was empty. The room was deserted except for Andromeda who was reaching into the fridge for a bottle of fruit punch.

"Forget something?" she asked as she placed the bottle on the tray, opened a cupboard and pulled out several glasses. "Sirius decide he wants a three course meal instead?"

"No," Remus laughed. "Just checking who was down here so James can sneak back home again."

"Just me," Andromeda replied with a sweep of her arm around the empty room. "Let's head back and he can grab some food before he floos home."

Andromeda picked up the tray and Remus held the door open for her.

"Sirius is friends with someone with manners," she joked as she walked through. "However did he manage that?"

Remus grinned and followed after her, only to discover that the hallway was no longer empty. Instead they nearly walked straight into Lucius's father and the hooded man Remus had seen arrive with him. Andromeda quickly side stepped with the tray and hurried up the stairs, Remus close behind.

He was at the top of the stairs before he dared risk a backward glance to see if they had been noticed. Even though he'd been invited and had every right to be there, he didn't want to draw the attention of the stranger. There was something about him that just felt _wrong_.

Remus looked down over the railings; the stranger was almost directly below him.

"It's just some child's drawing," Mr Malfoy was saying. "What possible interest could it hold for you?"

"You have no vision. You see only a child's drawing, while I see the image, the potential. Soon you'll see it too, as will the rest of the world."

Remus leaned further over the railings, curious to know what it was that they were talking about. He leaned a little to the right, further and further until he could finally make out what was on the paper in the man's hand.

A skull and what looked like a long tongue coming out of the jaws. He squinted a little but before he could make out for sure what the drawing was the stranger folded the paper and tucked it into his robes.

"Well, if you'd just come this way, there's someone I'd like to introduce you to," said Mr Malfoy, opening the door to the main party, the noise coming from within drowning out whatever else he had to say.

Remus stood at the railings a moment longer before realising that Andromeda was standing next to him.

"Who was that with Mr Malfoy?" he asked quietly, even though no one could have heard him speaking, the door to the party having closed once more.

"He calls himself Lord Voldemort," Andromeda whispered. "Though there aren't any lords and ladies in the wizarding world any more. Let's get back to the others."

Remus nodded and followed after Andromeda. He only turned back once, when the sound of the party echoed through the hall once more, and he caught a quick glimpse of Severus Snape ducking into the party on his own.

Sirius and James were laughing loudly when Remus and Andromeda returned and confirmed that the coast was clear, it was time for him to make good his escape.

James grabbed a handful of food to take with him and he and Sirius slipped out of the room to see him safely back to the Potter residence.

Remus knew that he would soon have to return home himself; he was reluctant to stay too late in case his father came to fetch him and there was more trouble between him and Sirius's mother.

It was a little after midnight when Remus announced he'd best make a move, he was eager to avoid the crowd that Sirius had warned would appear in the kitchen after the firework display had concluded and the party started to break up.

Sirius and Andromeda walked him down to the kitchen to see him safely returned home. Remus knew that the holidays were almost over and they would soon be meeting up again back on the Hogwart's Express when they returned to school for the new term.


	28. A New Friend

**Part Twenty Eight – A New Friend**

"Hagrid 'll help," James said as he led the way through the snowy grounds on their second day back at Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays. "He's great with animals, I heard Dumbledore say so."

"I hope so," Remus said as he cradled his new owl in his arm. He didn't know what had happened to Conall, but when he'd gone to find him to send a message to his parents letting him know that he'd arrived safely back at school, he'd discovered the small bird was injured and unable to fly. He'd borrowed one of the school owls to send his message and James had immediately suggested taking Conall to Hagrid.

"Why not Professor Kettleburn?" Sirius had asked. James had merely shrugged and replied that if Dumbledore was praising Hagrid then that recommendation was good enough for him. Remus agreed and so found himself on his way across the grounds to Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid came to the door almost immediately and within minutes he had invited the boys inside and was tending to the bird with care and expertise.

"Did yer all enjoy yer 'olidays?" Hagrid asked after he'd finished binding up Conall's wing.

"It was great," replied James. "We were all visiting each other and all those parties. Shame we had to come back to school."

"Yeah," agreed Peter, although Remus was sharp enough to notice that Sirius wasn't saying much and from what he'd seen of his home he was probably relieved to be back at school. He soon realised that he was not the only one to have picked up on Sirius's silence.

"You're the quiet one, are yer?" asked Hagrid to the general hilarity of James and Peter as they described their horse race at the Lupin farm.

Remus smirked slightly until he realised that even though Sirius was far more open with them than he had been before he was still not comfortable talking about his home life with others.

"Oh, like that is it?" Hagrid said with an understanding smile. "'ere 'ave a cup of tea and put 'em out yer mind."

Two cups of tea later and the topic of conversation had moved back to the Black New Year party once more. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he listened to his friends talking and the topic turned to Severus. He couldn't say he was surprised, the other boy had been a popular topic on the journey back to Hogwarts and for much of the previous day.

"I think my mother wanted me to make friends with him," Sirius said, his voice incredulous. "On New Year's Day she barely shut up about how he was a model student and how proud his mother is of him."

"He sent me right to the main party room," James explained to Hagrid, Peter already having been filled in on the events of the evening before the Hogwart's Express had even made it out of London. "He was deliberately trying to get us into trouble."

"Now, now," Hagrid said as he put the kettle on from across the room. "Yer don't know that."

"What do you mean Hagrid? He sent James to the party. We'd have been in so much trouble if I hadn't spotted him in time."

"Well James, did Severus know yer weren't supposed ter be there?" Hagrid asked reasonably.

"That's not the point. I asked where Sirius was and he sent me right into the lion's den."

"Did 'e know Sirius weren't in the main room then?"

"Er…"

"Um…"

"So 'e might 'ave thought Sirius were in the party?"

Remus bit on his lip as Hagrid voiced the question that he himself had wanted to ask at the time, but had been too nervous to say.

"I guess," replied James with obvious reluctance.

"You did say he was on his own in the kitchen when you flooed in mate," Sirius pointed out at Hagrid's reasonable logic. Remus noticed the disappointment in his tone but was thankful that it was minimal. Maybe his friends would start to give Severus the benefit of the doubt from now on, a New Year resolution of sorts, or at least leave the other boy in peace.

"So yer don't want ter be causing no trouble this term with no good reason," said Hagrid.

"It's like I was saying," Remus finally said. "You _do_ tend to think the worst about him all the time."

"Still doesn't change what he did last term though," Sirius declared.

"Yeah, that's right," James agreed.

"Yeah," Peter echoed.

"But yer don't want ter be getting into trouble now, do yer?" Hagrid advised.

"No," James muttered, whilst the rest of them nodded their agreement.

* * *

It was almost full dark when the boys finally left Hagrid's cosy hut and braved the elements. The snow had been falling heavily for some time and the footprints they had left on their journey to the hut had all vanished during the course of the afternoon. Remus promised to call back in a few days to check on how his owl was doing and Hagrid assured them that they were all welcome to return any time they wanted to. 

Remus spent the rest of the day in the Gryffindor common room hurriedly re-reading his homework assignments from before the holidays whilst Peter and Sirius were practising the charms and spells they'd learnt the previous term in readiness for their first lessons of the new term.

Remus was just re-reading his History of Magic essay when a shrill shriek sounded from a group of girls at the other side of the room.

Peter, startled, dropped his wand and the cup he'd been levitating fell to the floor and smashed. Sirius quickly pulled out his own wand to repair it before turning his attention to the girls.

"What's the matter?" Lily was asking Veronica who'd jumped up from her seat on the sofa and was casting a suspicious look around the room.

Remus twisted around in his seat as Veronica backed up towards the fireplace. By now she had the attention of the room who were startled to see her leap to her right with another shriek as her left arm flew up to her ear.

"What _is_ it?" one of the fifth year boys asked with a degree of impatience as he set aside his book.

"Something touched my ear," Veronica wailed as she looked around the room.

"There's no one near you," Lily insisted as many others in the room nodded in agreement.

"It must have been one of the ghosts," Veronica stated before she suddenly jumped again and clutched at her right ear.

"It most certainly was not," Sir Nicholas said from across the room where he had drifted in, apparently having heard the commotion from wherever it was he was lurking. "I assure you, young lady, the ghosts of Hogwarts have no desire to terrorise the students in such a juvenile manner."

Veronica looked at Sir Nicholas with a sulky expression on her face before reluctantly returning to her seat.

Gradually the rest of the students turned back to whatever they were doing before Veronica's outburst and Sir Nicholas drifted out through the wall again. Peace reigned once more in the common room and Remus turned back to his essay.

"Hey look," Peter exclaimed a short while later. Remus looked up to see that he was carefully pointing his wand at the cup which was flying above them, first drifting to the left, then to the right, and back again, with a precision that only James and Sirius had previously managed to accomplish.

"Nice work," Remus said as Peter beamed at him. Sirius leaned back in his chair with a curious expression on his face as he watched the cup fly slowly around before eventually coming to a halt on the top of Sirius's head.

"I don't think it's my style," commented Sirius with a mildly amused expression as he placed the cup back on the table.

"I didn't mean it to go there," Peter said, scratching at his nose as he contemplated the cup. "It just went there on its own."

"Sure it did," Sirius laughed. "Maybe you need a bit more practice, either at levitation or transfiguration - so that you can turn it into a decent hat."

"I guess," Peter mumbled as he continued to look confused before casting the charm once more to make the cup rise into the air.

Eventually the students began to leave the common room for their dormitories and Remus, closing his book, pushed back his chair to leave too. It was only the sharp kick to the leg from Sirius that kept him in his seat.

"You can wait up for James if you want, but I'm kind of tired," Remus said, yawning widely.

"Madam Pince will have kicked him out of the library half an hour ago," Sirius said. "No matter how many essays he didn't bother to get done over the holidays, she wouldn't let him stay late. He should have been back ages ago."

Remus signed and looked towards the firmly closed common room door. James had pleaded his excuses earlier in the evening and headed to the library after explaining that he'd managed to forget to do all of his assignments set in the final week of term and only the quiet of the library would help. Remus had raised an eyebrow at this but James had, for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, seemed genuinely swamped with work.

"Maybe he's stopped by the kitchen for supplies?" Peter suggested hopefully as the minutes ticked by.

"Or maybe he's already here…" Sirius said as he tapped his fingers on the table whilst waiting impatiently for two sixth years to finish their discussion about the next Quidditch match and leave.

"Already here?" asked Peter, looking about the room again. Remus did likewise but could see no trace of their friend, only the two older students who finally seemed to be taking their discussion with them to the dormitories.

"Okay James, give it up," Sirius said as he too gazed around the room.

A moment later Peter jumped up with a squeal. "Something grabbed me," he said as he backed himself up to the wall.

"Or someone," suggested Sirius as Remus finally realised what was happening. "Got bored did you James? Wouldn't have dug out that invisibility cloak, perhaps?"

"How did you guess?" James's voice, slightly muffled, asked before he suddenly appeared, holding out the said article.

"You can't spend that much time 'in the library' without arousing suspicion," Sirius said as he reached for the cloak and, taking it from James, wrapped it around himself until only his head and hands were visible. "Why didn't you use this to come round on New Year's Eve?"

"My parents took it off me and only gave it back to me on the last day of the holidays. Thought I might have disrupted their party or something."

"Wonder what gave them that idea," Remus laughed.

"I can't imagine," James said as Sirius pulled the cloak over his head.

James grinned as he reached out to pull back his cloak and missed entirely. Sirius reappeared several feet away with a wide grin on his face. "Me neither," he replied.

Remus had the suspicion that more trouble was heading their way.


	29. Under Pressure

**Part Twenty Nine – Under Pressure **

It hardly seemed that he'd been back at Hogwarts more than five minutes before the full moon approached.

Remus looked out of the Common Room window at the sinking sun as he waited for Professor McGonagall to come fetch him with another excuse for why he had to hurry home again. The only difference was that now his friends had met his parents, they knew what his family was like, and they would be even less likely to believe the lies than they were before.

Sure enough, regular as clockwork, Professor McGonagall ducked in though portrait hole to fetch him.

Remus nodded before rushing upstairs to the dormitory to fetch his travelling cloak, a small detail that might give him away on the cold January evening.

"Another emergency?" Sirius asked as Remus pulled his cloak from his trunk. He hadn't even heard him follow him up the stairs. "What's going on?"

"I don't know yet," replied Remus, deliberately misunderstanding the question. "I'd better not keep McGonagall waiting."

"That's not what I meant," Sirius said as he moved to block the doorway.

"You said you wouldn't push this," Remus reminded him, hoping to guilt Sirius into moving before anyone else happened upon them.

"We're supposed to be friends," Sirius pointed out, not moving from his place in the doorway. "Don't you think it'd be better to tell your friends yourself before we find out what it is you're keeping from us?"

Remus shrugged as he put on his cloak, refusing to meet Sirius's eyes.

"I can't keep McGonagall waiting; she'll come up here to find me if I do." That finally got Sirius to move from the doorway and Remus hurried down the stairs back to Common Room. McGonagall was waiting for him and utilising her time by confiscating various things from a third year student who'd made the mistakes of bringing the banned items to school after the holidays and then foolishly dropping the collection all over the floor in front of the Professor.

"Ah, Remus, there you are, come along now or you'll be late." Professor McGonagall swept across the room towards the portrait hole with Remus following close behind. He felt Sirius's eyes on his back and was relieved when the portrait closed behind him.

It was only when they were part way down the second flight of stairs that he remembered James's invisibility cloak. The thought nearly stopped him in his tracks.

What if the boys decided to follow him?

Even if Sirius hadn't said anything about his suspicions to James he might ask to borrow the cloak and follow him. James wouldn't refuse a request from his best friend. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about the possibility before and even as he descended the stairs he thought he felt the eyes of an unseen presence watching him from behind.

"I trust you're finding things easier now?" Professor McGonagall asked as they approached Madam Pomfrey in the Entrance Hall.

Remus remained silent, unwilling to answer that if anything, it was getting harder and harder to lie to his friends and that the temptation to tell them the truth was now even stronger.

Professor McGonagall nodded understandingly as she relinquished him to the care of Madam Pomfrey who brusquely escorted him to the Whomping Willow, assuring him that she'd be back to tend to his injuries when the full moon had passed.

Remus sat on the now battered mattress in one of the upper rooms of the Shrieking Shack, listening carefully and jumping at the smallest sound.

Was that a footstep downstairs?

Could Sirius have followed him in the invisibility cloak?

Did the house always creak in that manner or was there someone here with him?

Would Sirius remain invisible or would he reveal himself?

If he stayed invisible would he be safe or would he, as a werewolf, be able to sense the other boy anyway?

"Sirius?" he called out tentatively. "Is that yooooou?"

The last word came out as a howl as the call of the moon took over his mind and the pain of the transformation was upon him. His last thought was that if Sirius was in the building he hoped that he had the sense to get out now – before it was too late.

* * *

Remus returned to his human form after the full moon had passed, not feeling any different than he did any other morning after he transformed back. 

Surely he'd know if he'd attacked someone? Wouldn't he?

Normally when he turned back he waited patiently for Madam Pomfrey near the entrance to the tunnel. Today however he couldn't shake from his mind the thought that somewhere in the building there could be the body of one of his friends, injured or even dead, at his own hand. And so Remus made his way from room to room of the building, searching it from top to bottom for any sign of a struggle, for any sign that he might have killed one of the best friends he'd ever had. And for no other reason than that he'd not confided in his friends the truth about what he was.

He held his breath with each door he pushed open, with each corner he turned, with each piece of broken furniture he pushed aside.

He wondered if anyone had been noticed missing. Were the Aurors even now making their way down the tunnel to capture him?

Finally he had searched the entire building and found nothing more unusual than a bird nest on one of the upper floors.

He arrived back at the entrance to the tunnel at the same time as Madam Pomfrey appeared to bring him back to the school. Her cheery, if stern demeanour convinced him that nothing unusual had happened during this full moon. His friends were safe.

* * *

It was still the early hours of Saturday morning when Remus climbed through the portrait and into the Common Room; as such he didn't expect to see anyone already up and about in the tower. Most students took advantage of the weekends to sleep later on the chilly winter mornings. 

It was therefore something of a surprise to be greeted by Lily, curled up in one of the chairs, reading what looked like the previous day's Daily Prophet.

"Hi Remus," Lily greeted him. "You alright? You look a bit pale."

"Been a long night," replied Remus, quite truthfully.

"I'll bet," said Lily as she gestured to the seat opposite her. Remus sat down cautiously, and not only because of the still tender wounds he'd inflicted on himself. Something told him that Sirius wasn't the only one who had been curious about where he'd been going each time he was called from the school. Had Lily guessed his secret even before his friends had? Her next words confirmed his fears.

"Did you see the moon last few evenings? Clearest full moon in January that I've ever seen."

Remus's stomach turned over and his palms felt sweaty. Would he be expelled now that someone had discovered his secret? Had she told anyone?

"You are, aren't you?" whispered Lily. She leaned forward and the Daily Prophet fell to the floor. "You're a werewolf."

Remus sat rooted in his seat, he looked towards the staircase leading towards the dormitories, checking that no one else was up yet. He'd been so worried about his friends figuring out his secret he hadn't realised that someone else might be the one to put all the pieces together first. He was even less prepared for this than for his friends finding out.

"How did you guess?" Remus asked, wondering if perhaps he could use that knowledge to ensure no one else followed her example. Assuming of course he was allowed to remain at Hogwarts.

"I noticed it was always the full moon when you were – um…called away and I heard some third year students discussing werewolves for their Defence Against the Dark Arts class before Christmas. Suddenly it all made sense. I was watching to see if you were called out of school again and sure enough, Professor McGonagall came to fetch you, just like I expected she would, right when the full moon was about to rise."

"Oh." It was all Remus could think of to say. There was nothing he could do to avert suspicion. He immediately discarded the idea of asking whether he could be called out of school on the odd occasion when there was no full moon; any such request would be met with questions as to why, and he had no explanation to give. Not unless he told them that his secret was already out.

"Have you told anyone?" Remus finally gave voice to his next question. "Your friends, the Professors?"

"No," Lily answered instantly.

"I'll be forced to leave if everyone finds out," said Remus. "Only the Professors know and they've gone to a lot of trouble to keep it a secret."

"I won't tell anyone," Lily assured him. "But I think your friends are close to figuring out your secret anyway."

"I know." Remus sighed, wondering how on Earth he could stop the two smartest boys in his year from coming to the right conclusion about him.

"They were talking after you left and James was saying he didn't believe there was any emergency. Sirius was quieter but I don't think he believes it either. James was talking about following you next time you have to leave school."

They hadn't followed him this time! Remus breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't been spied on by his friends under the cloak of invisibility on his way to the shack. The relief was short-lived though; he realised that when the next full moon rose one or more of his friends was almost certainly going to be following him.

"I shouldn't worry about them following you," said Lily. "Professor McGonagall will spot them lurking and send them back to the Common Room."

"Not if they use James's invisibility cloak," replied Remus distractedly, barely realising he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"An invisibility cloak?" asked Lily, wide-eyed at this news. Her reaction reminded Remus, not for the first time, that Lily was muggle-born and some things that he took for granted were still unusual wonders for her.

He hoped that Lily was willing to keep the secret of the cloak too, he didn't think James would want everyone knowing about it.

Still, he knew that he could no more take the words back and make her forget about them than he could make her forget what he was. He had no choice but to trust her.

They talked for a while longer, and for Remus it was a relief to speak to someone his own age without fearing he would say something to give away his secret. He spoke of his promises to his parents and to Dumbledore and the rest of the school staff. He told her about Sirius and the suspicions he had that he knew more than he was telling. He explained how important it was to keep the secret, until he was sure she understood that he had no choice but to lie.

Lily listened, quietly, interrupting only to ask the occasional question. Their conversation only drew to an end when the sounds of movement on the stairs signalled that other students were up and about.

The last words Lily whispered to him before the appearance of three fifth years were that she would help him keep his secret, and not only that she would help to divert Sirius and James onto the wrong track once more. The mischievous glint in her green eyes told him that she already had some ideas on how she was going to do this. He smiled back at her, feeling a little less nervous about his friend's reactions when they finally discovered his secret – he knew they couldn't fool them forever – for if the girl sitting opposite him could accept it, surely his best friends could too?

* * *

_Author notes:_

_I imagine there are a few readers now screaming at their monitors about why I decided to have Lily figure out the secret first, so I figure I had better explain my thought process._

Now I know the film of PoA isn't canon but I do love the scene between Harry and Lupin where he talks about Lily and how she was there for him when no one else was. I thought that it might be nice to therefore have that tie in with this story and have her there for Remus now.

_And to explain why I haven't changed this in light of DH and the fact that she appears not to know in the fifth year when speaking with Severus. First of all it is too big a part of my story and secondly Lily may still have known when Severus was asking her about it. She would not reveal that she knew in my stories and with a bit of a stretch of the imagination we can imagine that in DH she could have simply been keeping Remus's secret as she promised too. _

_I hope you all don't mind too much._


	30. What Friends are For

**Part Thirty – What Friends are For**

The suspicion of his friends was even more obvious after Remus returned to the school. If it weren't for Lily's friendship and support the rather more frosty reactions of his friends would have been extremely upsetting for him.

It wasn't that they were pressuring him to tell them where he'd been. On the contrary, Sirius and James seemed to have come to the decision not to ask him where he'd disappeared to and even made a point to not even comment on his absence.

They didn't ask what the emergency had been or whether everything was well. Remus didn't offer any information to them either because he wished to keep the lies to a minimum, but he couldn't pretend that the behaviour of his friends wasn't hurtful.

It really hit home how much they were keeping their distance from him when he wasn't included in the plotting of their latest bit of mischief.

The first that he knew about the magical manoeuvre of all the door handles on the doors of the first floor classrooms was when he, like the rest of the students arrived at class.

"Oh for goodness sake," exclaimed Professor McGonagall as she arrived at the door of the Transfiguration classroom. Pulling out her wand she muttered a spell to move the doorknob back to the correct place on the door before sweeping into the classroom.

Remus took a seat beside Peter who leaned forward to loudly whisper his congratulations to James and Sirius on another successful prank. Remus looked at his friends and felt the gap between them open further, into a much wider gulf.

It wasn't that they were mean to him, or treating him in the same way as they did Severus and a couple of other students who had annoyed them, it was just that he no longer felt quite as much a part of their group.

And so Remus found himself spending more and more time in the company of Lily. It was then that he started to notice that there was something wrong.

At first it was little things, small and unlikely to be noticed on their own. They might be walking to class and Lily would suddenly exclaim that she'd forgotten something and turn back towards wherever it was they'd come from. Remus knew that Lily was one of the most organised first years there was and her sudden forgetfulness seemed very out of character.

He also noticed that she was often late to meals and spent more and more of her spare time in the confines of the Gryffindor tower.

When combined with her paler complexion, Remus knew that something was wrong and resolved to find out what it was.

It was the weekend before the next full moon when Remus set out to discover what it was that was bothering her.

It was a blustery Sunday afternoon at the start of February. His homework was completed but across the room it was clear that Lily was struggling to complete her own. She sat at one of the Common Room tables tapping her quill on the table as she leafed through one textbook after another, in search of something that was clearly eluding her.

The common room was nearly empty when Remus pulled up a chair opposite Lily. Most of the students were outside taking advantage of what was rumoured to be the last snow of the season to engage in a Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw snowball fight. The only other students in the room were at the far side playing a boisterous game of exploding snap.

Lily didn't notice his presence at first. She was engrossed in her homework and seemed to be really struggling.

"What are you looking for?" Remus asked when Lily began searching through one of the books again, getting more and more frustrated at whatever it was she was searching for.

"The ingredients for the Forgetfulness Potion," replied Lily with a frustrated sigh. "I think I need to get another book from the library."

Remus nodded thoughtfully but Lily didn't stand up or make any effort to move from her seat.

"This isn't for James and Sirius next week is it?" asked Remus, who was suddenly struck by the thought that Lily wasn't worrying over her Potions homework but was instead looking for a way to help him.

"No." Lily shook her head. "I've just been working ahead in class. I've already something else planned to throw them off the scent."

"You have?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Lily replied with a ghost of a grin. "It's simple. When you leave the Common Room, with Professor McGonagall I'll be ready to cause a distraction."

"But what if she collects me from class?" Remus asked.

"If she does then they can't follow you. It's only when she comes in the evenings that you have to worry about them sneaking after you."

"Oh yeah," said Remus, feeling a little dense in the light of the obvious logic. "McGonagall did say she was going to try to make sure I get called out of class as little as possible. What were you thinking of doing to distract them?"

"Well they both like to show off so I think I'll just give them a chance to."

Remus grinned at Lily's accurate assessment of his friends.

"Anyway," said Remus, remembering his reason for coming over to the table. "You've been really quiet recently, and you look worried. Is there anything going on that you want to talk about? Like why you don't just go to the library to get the book you need?"

Lily flushed guiltily and Remus knew that he was on the right track. Lily was avoiding someone, he just didn't know who or why.

He waited a moment to see if she offered any more information, but she remained silent under his questioning gaze.

"Lily?" he asked after a few minutes had passed and Lily had done no more than avoid his look and fiddle with her quill.

"Some of the older Slytherin students are in the library at this time of day," Lily finally said. "One of them put a curse on me last month and I've been avoiding them ever since."

"A curse?" Remus was truly shocked. He'd seen some of the bullying from a distance, the pushing around of the younger students and the hexing of the weaker ones, but to actually curse someone – he hadn't realised that things like that were happening right under the Headmaster's nose. "Have you told Professor McGonagall?"

Lily shook her head.

"You have to," Remus insisted. "I'll come with you, if you like."

"I can handle it," Lily replied. "I'm not going to let them push me about, but I need some time to…"

Her voice trailed off and Remus realised that she needed time to get used to having her dreams about the wizarding world being shattered so rudely. The world of magic, of spells and potions, also came with bigots and bullies just like the muggle world.

"Is it because you're muggle-born?" Remus guessed.

Lily nodded and but still wouldn't meet his eyes. "They've not bothered me recently."

Remus refrained from pointing out to her that that could well be because they simply hadn't had the chance.

"You should still report whoever it was that cursed you," said Remus. "They might be doing the same to other kids as well."

Lily finally looked Remus in the eye as he pointed out to her the best reason there was for speaking to Professor McGonagall and he knew from her expression that it hadn't occurred to her that there were others who might be in the same position that she was.

She looked as though she was giving it some thought and so Remus decided to leave things there, rather than pushing the point. He was pleased that she appeared far brighter than she'd done for the last couple of weeks.

"So what book did you want from the library?" asked Remus, standing up and moving towards the door. "I'll go fetch it for you."

"You don't have to do that," Lily replied.

"What are friends for?" Remus asked realising for the first time that Lily was truly the first real friend he'd had.

* * *

It was just two mornings later when Remus realised how cruel the wizarding world could be. Living most of his life on the remote farm he'd rarely come into contact with anyone other his family, a few of their friends and, less frequently, a few of the locals from the nearby village, most of whom were muggles.

Although his family hadn't been cut off from the wizarding world he had been very much isolated.

Nothing much had happened in his world and the news that reached them never affected their daily lives. Stories were simply that. Reports in the paper were read about and then forgotten.

There was nothing like the furore that occurred with the arrival of the Daily Prophet on this particular morning.

Remus looked at the paper that Lily sitting opposite him had unrolled and saw immediately what was causing the gasps and exclamations throughout the Great Hall.

The front page was taken up entirely with the report of a murder and a picture of a hideous sign that was magically displayed over the house where the crime had been committed.

The night sky was illuminated by the form of a huge skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth.

The murder of the muggle parents of a young wizard was shocking news for every table. Remus looked at the staff table and saw the worried expressions of the Professors. Over the room at the Slytherin table, he saw Severus jump up from the bench and run from the room. He wondered whether he knew the people who'd been killed and was contemplating going after him when he realised that Lily was shaking a little as she set down her pumpkin juice.

"Do you know them?" Remus asked.

Lily shook her head. "It could have been my parents," she whispered. "It could have been mine."

Remus looked back at the paper knowing there was nothing he could say. She was right after all; it could have been her family murdered the previous night.


	31. A Gryffindor's Roar

**Part Thirty One – A Gryffindor's Roar **

For the next few days the school talked of little else except the murder reported in the Daily Prophet. Even Remus temporarily forgot about the upcoming full moon until the morning of the day when he was once again going to be called away.

He thought that Sirius was quieter than usual that morning, but he wasn't sure if it might be his own paranoia telling him that. He resolved not to dwell on it too much and instead concentrated on trying to speak with Lily about what she was planning to do that evening.

Remus waited in the common room for Lily before going down to breakfast, assuring his friends that he'd be right behind them as soon as he'd asked her about something he'd been struggling with for his Charms homework.

He didn't have to wait long for Lily; she came down the stairs from the girls' dormitory barely a minute after the portrait had swung closed. Remus was relieved to see that she was by herself.

"Morning Remus," Lily greeted him as she came into the room. "You want to make sure I've not forgotten about this evening, right?"

Remus breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the events earlier in the week hadn't put his own predicament entirely out of Lily's mind.

Lily correctly interpreted his expression and his sigh and grinned as she opened the portrait door. "I've been looking forward to this evening. I wouldn't forget."

"Are you sure your plan will work?" Remus asked, still slightly worried that Lily might have underestimated his friends. He climbed through the portrait hole after her, making sure to keep his voice low in case his friends were still nearby.

"I don't see why not," Lily whispered back as they made their way down the stairs to the Great Hall. "They like showing off –"

"You noticed that too," Remus laughed.

"-and I'll be giving them the perfect chance to do just that."

"It's a pity I'll miss it," Remus said. "Whatever it is you've got planned."

Lily turned to him and raised an eyebrow, having caught his not so subtle hint that he'd like to know what she scheme she had in mind. "You _will_ see most of it," Lily said in hushed tones. "I'm going to challenge the two of them to a competition to see how much they can really do. Girls against boys. I can drag it out as long as I need to and if they try to leave to follow you I'll claim the girls have a victory by default."

"You think they'll fall for that?" asked Remus doubtfully.

"Don't you?" Lily retorted. "Sirius and James passing up the chance to show off?"

"Good point," Remus agreed. "I guess we'll find out later."

"Don't worry," Lily said as they walked into the Great Hall. "You'll see."

* * *

The rest of the day passed relatively quietly, with Remus quietly lost in his thoughts most of the time.

He was sitting at one of the tables in the common room with James, Sirius and Peter, just putting the finishing touches to his Astronomy chart when Lily made her move.

"Hey Sirius!" Lily called across the room. "Veronica says you still haven't mastered the levitation charm yet, is that right?"

Remus smirked as Sirius looked up with an expression of disbelief on his face. Only James had beaten him to mastering the spell and that had been months ago.

"Rubbish," Sirius finally spluttered. "Wasn't Veronica the only person not to have figured out that one before the Christmas break?"

"No," Veronica replied, looking as affronted as Sirius had been a moment before.

"So let's see you levitate something then," Lily suggested, walking over to the table and pointing at James's almost finished chart. "How about that?"

Sirius shrugged, took out his wand, and muttering the incantation, carefully floated the parchment into the air as James watched with mild annoyance, his quill still in his hand.

"Satisfied?" asked Sirius after he'd returned the parchment to the table.

Lily looked unimpressed as she fingered the parchment as though looking for a hidden thread attached to the edge.

"You can't think I _cheated_?" Sirius asked. "I'm one of the best at Charms."

Remus watched quietly as Lily skilfully baited Sirius without saying a word. He had to give her full credit for her performance; she handled his friend with an expertise that surprised him and she knew exactly which buttons to push.

Ten minutes later and Lily and Sirius had organised their teams to settle once and for all just who was the better at Charms – the boys or the girls.

Remus had experienced one rather heart-stopping moment when James had suggested that Remus referee the contest. But Lily was one move ahead again and calmly pointed out that only an older student could objectively determine who was the best. Melissa Emmett, a third year student who had been watching the exchange with interest quickly volunteered to step into the position, and Remus was neatly let off the hook.

Within half an hour the competition was underway and Remus could see that Lily and her friends, whom he privately suspected had been practising, were giving Sirius and his team a run for their money.

James barely looked up when Professor McGonagall popped her head in the door although Remus could tell that Sirius had noticed her appearance, and he didn't look very surprised.

Remus himself had made sure that he was near to the entrance to the common room, hopeful that he could slip out quietly before anyone noticed.

"Ah, that's what I like to see," Professor McGonagall commented as she looked around the room. "Students working together to improve themselves. Do carry on. Remus Lupin, if you could come with me please."

Remus jumped out of his seat and moved towards the formidable Professor. He caught sight of Sirius moving across the room and making his way towards the staircase leading to the dormitories. Remus saw to his relief however that Lily had also spotted him and was aiming for the staircase too in order to head him off.

"Your turn, Sirius," Remus heard Lily say just before the portrait hole closed behind him. It looked like Lily was going to keep Sirius at bay this month, but he wasn't so sure she would be able to manage the pull off the same stunt twice.

* * *

Remus returned to the school after the full moon had passed to find that once again his friends didn't ask where he'd been or what the problem was. This time however he was not the only one to notice their uncharacteristic silence.

"Nice to see you back Remus," Lily greeted him as he tucked into his breakfast in the Great Hall on his first morning back. "How's your grandmother doing?"

Remus looked up to see Lily sitting down opposite him and helping herself to a glass of pumpkin juice.

"A lot better, thanks," replied Remus, knowing as well as Lily did that both his grandmothers were perfectly well and in excellent health. At this precise moment in time he suspected one of the two was probably preparing for a coffee morning and the other would be getting ready to attend a conference in Manchester for the protection of unicorns.

"That's good, isn't it?" Lily asked, turning to Sirius with a smile.

"Erm, yeah, great news," Sirius answered with an unusually sheepish look.

"You _had _asked Remus about his grandmother, hadn't you?" Lily's questioning tone was ever so slightly sharper than usual. She looked from Sirius to Peter and then to James, all of whom suddenly appeared very interested in their plates.

"Hadn't you?" she repeated, her voice rising.

Remus felt himself flushing as Lily rose to his defence, her green eyes flashing with annoyance.

"Your best friend's grandmother is ill, he's called away from school, and you don't even ask how she's doing when he comes back?"

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Lily's voice rose an octave higher with every word. He risked a sideways glance at James before looking across the table at Sirius; both of them looked just as uncomfortable as he felt, though for entirely different reasons.

The seconds of silence stretched into minutes, until eventually Sirius looked up and directly at Remus.

"Sorry mate," he offered, rubbing his nose in embarrassment. Remus noticed that all three of his friends appeared slightly flushed at Lily's reprimand.

James and Peter offered their apologies too and Lily turned back to her pumpkin juice with a satisfied smile on her face.

The five of them continued to chat throughout the meal and Remus realised that he had even more reason to be grateful to Lily. Not only had she kept his friends from following him and placing themselves in danger, she'd managed to skilfully work at healing the rift that his lies had created.

He knew the rift wasn't entirely gone – only the truth would remove it completely – but he felt that he was once again a real part of the group and he resolved to put the last month behind him and worry about the next full moon only when it arrived.

An innocent smile and a quick wink from Lily as the boys left the table helped Remus realise that he really wasn't alone anymore.


	32. Feeling the Strain

**Part Thirty Two – Feeling the Strain**

A few days later Remus found himself once again on his own in the library catching up on the work he'd missed whilst he'd waited for the full moon to wane.

As the term continued and the end of year exams drew nearer, Remus was finding that it was getting to be somewhat of a struggle to keep up with the work when he was missing so many lessons. It hadn't seemed like that much time when he and his parents had discussed the matter before he'd come to the school. But a few days each month soon added up, and it wasn't only the lessons, it was the assignments he was set for completion in his own time. Combined together it meant that Remus was starting to fall slightly behind in his schoolwork.

He'd asked James whether he'd taken any notes he could lend him from some of the classes, but unfortunately the other boy was not in the habit of recording everything from the lessons unless he absolutely had to. He'd been very apologetic about it, but it still meant that Remus was stuck in the library working on his Defence Against the Dark Arts essay whilst his friends were out watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team's early morning practice.

He was hard at work when the sound of a chair scraping the floor drew his attention to Lily who had sat down opposite him whilst he'd been engrossed in his work.

"Is that the paper that's due this afternoon?" Lily asked as she glanced at the parchment.

Remus nodded and sighed. "He didn't give us a lot of time for this one and what with being-"

"Away?" Lily supplied with a conspirator's grin.

"Yeah, away," Remus agreed with a roll of his eyes. "It means I've hardly had any time to work on it. I spent so much time working on the practical for yesterday's Charms lesson, and then there was that monster of an essay for McGonagall."

"It probably didn't help that you missed last Friday's lesson either," Lily pointed out with sympathy. "We went over a lot of stuff in class that you won't know about."

"Professor Knott-Bolt did some notes," Remus explained. "All the teachers do that for the work I miss."

"Well that should help a bit," Lily said.

"You think?" Remus asked as he pulled out a piece of parchment and passed it over.

Lily looked it over with a frown. "Is this supposed to be in English?"

"Exactly," Remus grumbled. "I can barely make out a single word, his hand writing's so bad."

"Didn't James or Sirius take notes for you?" Lily asked.

Remus shook his head and sighed. "Not this time."

"Some friends you've got there," Lily muttered.

"They're not so bad. It's just that they don't know," said Remus, feeling that his friends would certainly have taken notes if they'd known that he wasn't in a condition to carry on with his studies whilst he was away. He told himself that if they'd known that he couldn't have been reading up for his assignments or even working on them whilst out of school, they would surely have taken notes and done everything they could to help him keep up.

"I'll see about guilting them into taking some for you next time," Lily said with a wicked grin. "And in the meantime you can borrow mine. They're in the common room."

"Thanks," Remus replied. "I should be able to read your writing without a problem."

Lily smiled and looked smug at what Remus suspected was the thought of what she'd be saying to James and Sirius as soon as she got the chance.

Their conversation was cut short however by the arrival of Severus at the table.

He placed a pile of books on the surface, and Lily reached for the topmost one and opened it.

Remus saw the other boy looking curiously at what he was working on.

"I'm sure Professor Knott-Bolt would give you an extension," Severus said as he sat down at the table. "In the circumstances…"

Remus felt himself flush and he saw Severus draw in a sharp breath. He wished he could keep his face as blank as other people could when faced with someone trying to uncover the truth. James and Sirius seemed to have it down to a fine art; neither of them had so much as twitched when cornered by Filch the previous week after another of their pranks.

"I'd rather get it done and handed in," Remus muttered. "Best to keep on top of things like this, I don't want to fall too far behind."

"You have missed quite a bit of school, haven't you?" Severus asked. Remus wasn't fooled by his thoughtful tone. He was aware that Severus had noticed when he was absent as clearly as James and Sirius had. He didn't want his friends to find out his secret, and he certainly didn't want Severus to know.

"A bit," Remus muttered. He continued to make notes from the textbook on the table, hoping that the other boy would take a hint and leave him in peace to get on with his work.

"Well you know we're here for you, if you want to talk," Lily said encouragingly. "That's what friends are for."

"There's nothing to talk about," Remus answered. He hadn't missed the undertone of Lily's words. She was friends with Severus, just as she was friends with him, and for some reason she was under the impression that Remus could trust the other boy. Remus wasn't so sure but he finally looked up and gave Severus and Lily a bright smile that he hoped Severus would believe was genuine.

"Do you need a hand with the essay?" Severus asked.

"I'm just struggling with finding the reference to underwater creatures," Remus said with a frown. "I know I saw it somewhere but I lost the page while looking up a counterhex."

"I think it's somewhere near middle of the book," Severus said, reaching across the table and flicking through the pages to try to find what he was looking for.

"Can't you get your own book?" the voice of James Potter rang through the quiet library. Remus drew in a sharp breath; he felt instinctively that trouble would soon be following his friends' arrival.

"Or your own table?" Peter asked as he sank down into an empty seat and pulled out his parchment and proceeded to work on his own essay.

Remus ducked his head and continued with his work, hoping that Madam Pince would be on hand to stop any trouble before it got out of hand.

"What you looking for?" James asked. Remus looked up to answer before realising that James wasn't talking to him, instead he was looking at Severus with actual curiosity.

"I'm trying to find out if it's possible to change houses once you've been sorted," Severus replied. Remus looked up in surprise and was about to comment when someone else spoke first.

"You'd be better off looking up school transfers," Sirius suggested with a smirk.

Remus looked at Severus and saw the look of pure venom that he cast at Sirius. If ever there was a boy who couldn't help but let every expression fly openly across his face, it was Severus Snape.

Thankfully before a full scale argument erupted Lily interceded.

"We'll be late for class," she said hurriedly and the Gryffindors gathered their things together to head off to Transfiguration, a class they shared with Ravenclaw.

* * *

As soon as their class was over Remus approached Lily. 

"I'll catch up with you guys later," he said to James and the others. "Lily has some notes for me that I need to finish that essay for this afternoon."

"Okay," Sirius waved. "Don't forget to eat lunch though, you're looking a bit ill."

Remus nodded, before pulling Lily aside.

"He's right you know," Lily said. "You're looking really pale."

"I'm always pale after the full moon," Remus whispered, waving his hand in dismissal, wanting to move onto a more important concern. "What did you think you were doing, suggesting I talk to Severus?"

"I thought I was helping you with your cover story," Lily retorted, a hurt expression on her face. "It's obvious Severus knows you're hiding something. He's not stupid. If he thinks I know, he'll pester me about it and I don't really like lying to my friends. If he thinks I don't know, he won't ask me and I won't have to lie."

Remus opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as he took in her words. Lily really did seem to think of everything. "I thought you were trying to get me to say something there in library to him."

"You worry too much," Lily said, shaking her head. "Go get lunch and I'll run get those notes for you so you can work on finishing the essay in the Great Hall before class."

"Thanks," Remus replied. "For everything."

"You're welcome, and if you need any more notes let me know. Even if I manage to get James and Sirius to take proper notes for you I don't hold out much hope of you reading their writing. Did you see the state of the assignments Professor McGonagall handed back to them? Their writing is worse that Professor Knott-Bolt's."

"You think theirs are bad? You should see Peter's." Remus laughed.

* * *

_Authors Note: Aug 2007 - Yes I do still intend to finish this story. I have just finished making sure that both this story and my Snape Origins one are as compatible with HBP and DH as they can be – also sorted out a lot of the typing errors. I am now working on updates. Unfortunately seems determined to hate me and not all of the amended chapters are showing as they should. It says they are uploaded, it shows them in my live preview and when I export them they are correct - the only problem is that they are not showing when you read the stories normally. I have written to support for help on this and hopefully will be able to confirm they are updated PROPERLY soon.  
_


	33. Caught

_Author Note: Sorry for the lack of updates. I won't bore you with the usual bad excuses etc. There are reasons but I'm sure everyone would much rather just get on with reading the update. However I would ask that you do read the rest of the notes as they are slightly more important._

_I have now done a lot of work on both this story and the Snape Origins story in order to make the two of them compatible with HBP and DH. Some changes are minor, some not so much. However I have done it so that no one is obliged to re-read anything they have already read in order to make sense of the story. But things might seem a little odd if I failed to mention it. Professor Mistry is no more - Professor Slughorn is where he belongs, Andromeda is in Slytherin rather than Ravenclaw where I had placed her, Snape's father is now a muggle and every other major inconsistency is amended. _

_There are a few small things that I haven't altered but they are either ones that would require everyone to re-read the stories if I did amend them or would mess up a main plot line (yes I do have a plot despite appearances to the contrary). I have also left in the free periods that we now know wouldn't have been in their timetables until the sixth year. But it took me forever to sort out a working timetable and the one I came up with required free periods following a midnight astonomy lesson and changing the timetable at this stage would be virtually impossible. I hope you don't mind this and a few other small inconsistencies and that they don't affect your enjoyment of the story._

_Louisa_

* * *

**Part Thirty Three – Caught**

Remus groaned and turned over in his bed. "Just five more minutes he muttered," sleepily.

When he knew he couldn't put off getting up any longer he staggered out of bed in the pre-dawn light. Soft snores emanated from the other three boys in the room and he made sure that he didn't wake them as he moved about the room.

He had come to the conclusion that the only way he was going to keep up with his schoolwork was to get up early in the morning and work ahead of the rest of the class. Unfortunately he was not a morning person and although he forced himself to rise before the other boys it was with great reluctance that he did so.

Once he was downstairs in the common room, working away at his assignments and reading ahead in the textbooks, Remus shrugged off his grouchiness and made the most of the peace and quiet. He even managed to muster a smile as he watched the sunrise from his chair by the window.

The March full moon would be Sunday night and for the first time since he'd arrived at Hogwart's he felt he would not be falling behind in his studies because of his absence. It helped of course that whenever he missed a Monday he only had to really catch up with Charms and Herbology. Although he regretted missing the enjoyable and somewhat carefree flying lessons, they were not something he felt he had to catch up on like the rest of the classes.

Gradually sounds of movement came from above and the rest of the Gryffindors emerged from their rooms as they headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

James and Peter appeared behind a group of laughing fourth year boys; Sirius followed after them a few minutes later, yawning widely.

"What time did you get up?" James asked. "I woke up around dawn and you'd already gone."

Sirius looked at him in shock, and for a moment Remus wondered if Sirius even believed him.

"You must have just missed me," Remus said. "I thought I'd get up early and get some work done." He gestured to his books casually and hoped that none of them would ask specifically what he'd been reading up on or realise that the essay he'd been working on could easily have waited until the weekend. At least it could have waited until the weekend if he wasn't going to be in the Shrieking Shack most of the weekend, and certainly at the time he knew his friends were planning on doing their own essays…in a mad rush on Sunday afternoon, as usual.

Thankfully homework was never the most popular topic of conversation for James and Sirius and they didn't question him further, instead turning the topic of discussion to breakfast and the anticipation of the owl post arriving.

* * *

Another weekend in the Shrieking Shack was approaching and with it was the worry that his friends would somehow find a way to follow him under James's invisibility cloak.

Lily was still promising to help him out but he knew he couldn't rely on her every month. If Lily continued to thwart Sirius each time he was called away then it was only a matter of time before the other boy realised that Lily knew what was going on. Remus trusted her to keep his secret but he didn't like the idea of Sirius hassling her about it as he was sure that he would.

Professor McGonagall had told him that she would come and collect him on Saturday afternoon, and he just had to make sure that when she did none of his friends were anywhere near the invisibility cloak.

Remus whispered to Lily on their way to the Astronomy tower for their Friday night lesson that he didn't need her help this month, he had an idea of his own.

* * *

Remus sat with his friends in the Great Hall Saturday lunchtime. He didn't need to feign a loss of appetite as he pushed his food around his plate. The approaching full moon always had this effect on him; it was only after he had transformed that his appetite returned.

"Come on Remus, eat up," James encouraged him as he eagerly tucked into his own lunch.

"I'm not that hungry," Remus replied as he looked at the normally appetising meal with disinterest. "I think I need some fresh air."

"Yeah, you're looking a bit pale," Sirius agreed. "It's 'cos we've been stuck in the common room studying all morning."

Remus snorted at that. Studying had been what _he'd_ been doing. Sirius and James on the other hand had done little more than pull out their books, parchment and quills before being distracted.

Instead of writing their Herbology essays they had instead discovered the far more amusing past time of aiming tripping jinxes down into the grounds where a group of third year Slytherin students appeared to be practising something for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

They had tripped one student after another, each time quickly ducking out of sight in case someone in the grounds below realised what they were doing.

The only thing that had been written on the parchment that had been pulled out to start their essays was a rough tally of their scores by Peter.

"The Quidditch pitch is free this afternoon," Remus commented. He'd heard the previous morning that the Ravenclaw team had had to cancel their practice session due to their captain having an unfortunate and particularly nasty accident during his Care of Magical Creatures class. With the next match of the season over a month away none of the other teams had leapt in to secure the vacancy, which meant anyone could practice under the supervision of Madam Hooch who was never far away.

"Great idea!" James agreed.

Soon all four boys were out on the Quidditch pitch along with nearly a dozen other students from various houses who had decided to pass the afternoon in the same way.

The various students soon decided to split into two teams, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw versus Slytherin and Hufflepuff and a game was soon under way.

Remus played seeker, much to the disappointment of Peter who had been anxious to try his luck in that position too. They'd ended up tossing a knut to decide and Remus promised to swap position with the other boy later.

They had been in the air for a little over an hour when Remus, pretending to look out for the snitch, spotted Professor McGonagall striding down the path from the school. He'd been expecting her but made sure that he didn't look in her direction again until she called up to him to come down to the ground.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked as he flew away from the goal posts that he had been guarding.

"Hey, watch it!" Dora, a Ravenclaw beater yelled out. Remus and Sirius both turned to see what she was shouting about and saw that as soon as Sirius had moved away from his position one of the Slytherin chasers had taken advantage of his distraction to send the quaffle soaring through the left hoop.

"Time out!" James called as the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs cheered.

Remus made his way to the ground where Professor McGonagall stood chatting to Madam Hooch.

From the corner of his eye he saw Sirius and James land nearby and hurry across as well.

It didn't matter, Remus thought to himself. James's invisibility cloak was hidden away in Gryffindor Tower and there was no possibility of him getting to it in time to follow him to the Whomping Willow. By the time James made it to the Tower he would be long gone.

"Come along Remus," Professor McGonagall said as soon as he was in earshot. "I have some news for you regarding your grandmother."

Remus nodded obediently and passed his broom to Madam Hooch's outstretched hand.

He hadn't taken more than a couple of paces when he realised that James and Sirius had every intention of going with him. They obviously saw no reason to sneak after him this month and were openly intending to come with him. Luckily he wasn't the only one to have spotted them.

"There's no need for you to leave your practice," Professor McGonagall said with a smile at the two boys. "You're both doing wonderfully. I believe there may be a couple of places opening on the team next year…"

Remus snorted quietly. He knew that Professor McGonagall kept a closer eye on the Gryffindor Quidditch team than any other head of house. She knew exactly who was leaving school this year and what positions they played.

"…I don't think I'd be surprised to see one or both of you on the team if you keep on practising like this. I think your team mates are waiting for you though."

Remus watched admiringly as Professor McGonagall flattered his friends and encouraged them to return to the air. The vague promise of places on the Gryffindor team the following year was enough to steer them back towards the pitch where they called out to Peter that he could now play Seeker.

"They're becoming more suspicious," Professor McGonagall commented as they walked back up the path towards the castle.

Remus didn't reply; he didn't need to. The suspicion of his friends was plainly obvious.

"You haven't told them anything have you?"

Remus shook his head but couldn't stop the flush that crept up his face at the thought of Lily who did know his secret.

"Remus?" Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks. They had just turned the corner of the castle and Remus could see in the distance the figure of Madam Pomfrey waiting a short distance away from the Whomping Willow.

Remus stopped walking and looked at his feet.

"Who knows? Sirius?"

Remus shook his head, although he was a little surprised that the Professor had spoken the name of his friend who he believed was closest to figuring out his secret.

"We could go and talk to Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall pointed out in a slightly harsher tone. "The sun won't set for another half hour. Who did you tell?"

"No one!" Remus finally found his voice. "She guessed on her own."

"And she would be…?"

"Lily…Lily Evans."

"Ah!" Professor McGonagall stood silently for a moment or two, clearly going over things in her mind. "The little display in the Common Room last month…that was…"

"To distract Sirius and James," Remus confirmed with a guilty nod. "She won't tell anyone…she promised."

"Nevertheless I think Professor Dumbledore had better have a quiet word with her."

"She's not in trouble, is she?"

"No. Though you should be more concerned for yourself for confirming her accurate guess was correct and for not speaking to me immediately your secret was out," McGonagall replied. "Come along now. We'll speak more after the full moon. Come and see me as soon as you return to the castle."

"I'm not going to be expelled am I?" Remus asked.

"No," Professor McGonagall replied. "We always knew that your closest friends would figure out your secret eventually. We just didn't think it would be quite this soon. We hoped that it might even remain a secret until you covered werewolves in Defence Against the Dark Arts in your third year. If your best friends don't figure it out by then I'll insist they fail the year on principle."

Remus laughed slightly at her joke. "I think Sirius will figure it out before then," he admitted. "He might know already though he hasn't asked me."

"I think it might be best to have you called out of classes from now on," Professor McGonagall suggested. "They do seem rather eager to trail after you." Remus nodded in agreement, relieved that one problem at least was alleviated by the quick thinking woman.

* * *

The sun was just sinking beyond the horizon when Madam Pomfrey left him alone in the Shrieking Shack to wait for the moon to rise.

This time he didn't worry about the possibility of his friends following him into the building and endangering themselves.

The relief was enough to bring the shadow of a smile to his face, even though it was minutes away from the time for him to lose his mind to the moon.

* * *

_Author Notes: Yep, more notes. Please be aware that in between updating the two Origins stories I will also be posting my Spinners End comedy story here shortly since I know at least a couple of people are waiting for it since I deleted it from the CoSForums a few months ago. There will also be a couple of DH Snape POV, Epilogue type pieces that are also already written and a HBP Snape POV that I forgot to post last summer.  
_


	34. A Ray of Hope

**Part Thirty Four – A Ray of Hope**

Remus returned to the castle on Tuesday morning. He slipped into his seat in the Transfiguration classroom just ten minutes into the lesson.

Professor McGonagall saw him arriving but said nothing. He knew he'd have to speak to her immediately the class was over. Nothing and no one would be interrupting her lesson plan.

"Typical," muttered a voice from behind him. "If one of us Ravenclaws had been late she'd have deducted house points from us."

Remus flushed, knowing that whoever it was that had spoken was, in all likelihood correct. They just didn't know that McGonagall knew he had a very good reason for being late and it wasn't favouritism that stopped her deducting points. It just seemed that way to those who weren't in Gryffindor.

It wasn't until the lesson was underway that he had the chance to speak with James, Sirius and Peter. He realised immediately that Lily's outburst the previous month had had a profound effect on the boys. Concerned and inquisitive they all made sure to ask after his family within a few minutes of the end of McGonagall's lecture.

He could see Lily at one of the nearby tables looking approvingly towards them. He resolved to track her down immediately after he'd finished speaking with Professor McGonagall to find out what had been said to her following his incarceration in the Shrieking Shack.

At the end of the lesson he gathered his things and headed towards McGonagall's desk, promising to catch up with the others in the Great Hall where lunch was about to be served.

Professor McGonagall gathered her own things together before leading the way to her first floor office.

She closed the door behind her and directed Remus to one of the seats opposite her desk. Taking her own seat she wasted no time in getting to the point.

"I've now spoken with Professor Dumbledore regarding Lily Evans knowing about your…condition…and he has spoken with her about the issue. The Headmaster has decided against using any sort of memory charm on her…"

Remus drew in a sharp breath. The idea that Lily's memory could be modified to make her forget what she knew hadn't even occurred to him.

"A memory charm was always a very last resort," Professor McGonagall assured him when she noticed his reaction. "Professor Dumbledore prefers to trust people rather than enforce their co-operation. Besides, if she figured it out once, chances are she'll figure it out again before much longer."

Remus nodded his understanding. "Am I in a lot of trouble?"

"No." McGonagall sighed and gave Remus a sharp look. "But if…when…your friends discover your secret you must let me know. Is that understood?"

Remus nodded again.

"And you're not to tell them yourself!" McGonagall reminded him in a firm tone that brooked no arguments.

Remus didn't nod in response to this order, an omission that didn't go unnoticed by the Professor.

"You do understand why?" she asked him in a kinder tone.

Remus frowned and shook his head. "If they're going to find out anyway…" he began.

"…then why not tell them now?" McGonagall finished.

Remus nodded again.

"Because sometimes people find it easier to accept something when they piece things together for themselves. If you told your friends today then they may indeed stick by you and support you. But they may be too shocked and scared to remember that you're their friend. If they figure it out for themselves, they'll have time to consider your feelings before they ask you. They won't have to react straight away…"

Remus listened carefully to Professor McGonagall as she tried to explain why he couldn't tell his friends. He didn't understand her completely. It seemed to him that his friends either accepted who…what…he was or they didn't. He didn't see that it made any difference whether he told them or they guessed.

Professor McGonagall finished speaking and waited for Remus to respond. He nodded obediently.

"Very well. Now go and join your classmates for lunch."

Remus stood up and turned to leave. He reached to open the door, pausing a moment as he did. There was one more question he had to ask.

"Yes?" McGonagall asked when she realised he wasn't leaving.

"Professor Dumbledore wouldn't really make my friends forget would he?"

"Only as a very last resort," McGonagall confirmed. "Providing they prove themselves to be trustworthy then I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore would see no reason to use memory charms."

With that Remus left the room. The worry about Lily knowing his secret was alleviated but the worry of how his friends would react had returned. Professor McGonagall seemed to believe it was only a matter of time before they discovered the truth. Unlike the Head of Gryffindor, he didn't believe that there was any possibility of his friends finding out he was a werewolf because of what they learned in their third year classes…he knew that they'd figure it out long before that time came around.

* * *

Remus walked into the Entrance Hall but before he could make his way into the Great Hall the sound of a whisper calling his name pulled him to a halt.

Turning around he saw the beckoning figure of Lily in the doorway he'd just passed.

He hurried towards her already anticipating what she was going to say.

"Professor Dumbledore knows I know-" Lily began in a rushed whisper.

"I know," Remus cut her off with an apologetic smile. "I had to tell McGonagall when she was taking me to the Shrieking Shack. She was talking about James and Sirius, and how they're becoming more suspicious and guessed from my reaction that someone knew. I had to tell her about you. I'm sorry I couldn't warn you."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief as she hopped up onto one of the desks. "I thought maybe Professor Dumbledore had found out on his own, that I'd given myself away…that you'd be upset with me."

"No, McGonagall told him. I'm really sorry I couldn't warn you."

"That's okay. I just wanted to speak to you…to tell you…"

"Thanks," Remus replied, enormously grateful for her concern. "You didn't get into any trouble did you? Professor McGonagall said not but…"

His voice trailed off as Lily shook her head; he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Professor Dumbledore was really nice about it," Lily commented. "He's forbidden me to tell anyone about you, even if they seem to have guessed for themselves." She hesitated a moment before continuing, "I think he was more worried that people might not like you once they found out."

"A lot of people won't," Remus replied. There was no arguing with that point. In all the accounts of werewolves his parents had come across there didn't seem to be any who had managed to make a life for themselves within the wizarding community.

"You're still worried that James and the others won't want to be your friends if they find out?" Lily asked with an understanding that was beyond her years.

"They don't seem the type to be friends with an outcast." Remus couldn't help but think about how they treated Severus. The young Slytherin was _different_, unpopular and seemed very much an outcast within the school. When his friends found out that he was _different_ too, would they treat him the same way?

Or would he find that Lily was his only true friend at Hogwarts?

"Maybe they'll surprise you," suggested Lily, though Remus thought he detected doubt in her voice.

"I guess I'll find out eventually," Remus replied. "I asked McGonagall why I couldn't tell them if they were going to guess anyway."

"What did she say?"

"Something about them being more likely to accept me if they figure it out for themselves," Remus replied with a shrug. At Lily's thoughtful expression he elaborated more and recounted the details of the discussion, watching as Lily nodded in understanding.

"I think she's right," Lily commented with a smile. "The longer it is before they find out then the stronger your friendship will be. Besides, if James and Sirius figure it out on their own, they'll be so busy congratulating themselves they'll forget to be scared at all!"

Remus laughed loudly at her unexpected response. The small sliver of hope he cherished started to grow with the thought that Lily had provided him with the best reason yet for why his friends might not desert him after all.

"What's going on in 'ere?"

Remus and Lily jumped at the sound of the suspicious voice of Mr Filch at the doorway.

"Nothing," Lily responded, hopping down from the desk.

"Turn out yer pockets," Filch ordered with a glare.

Lily and Remus both complied and watched as Filch rummaged through the items, casting suspicious looks in their direction, before finally continuing on his way.

"What was that all about?" Remus asked as they left the room and made their way to the Great Hall. "He seemed even more hostile than usual."

"Well that might have something to do with Hogwart's mystery artist," Lily explained in a mysterious tone.

"Who's that?" Remus asked, his curiosity peaked.

"No one knows," Lily replied. "But someone's been sticking up amusing drawings of the staff the last few days and Mr Filch is on the warpath to find out who it is."

"I take it one of the pictures was of Filch?" Remus asked with a grin.

"One of the first to be put up," Lily replied. "It was in the Great Hall on Sunday morning. Though it was taken down quickly. So was the one of Madam Pince that appeared near the bottom of Ravenclaw Tower. Then there was one of Professor Sprout near the entrance to the kitchens. That one was there quite a while before they took it down…"

Lily went on to explain about the rest of pictures that had been displayed in his absence as they joined his friends at the Gryffindor table.

"Are any of today's pictures still up?" Remus asked, sorry that he seemed to have missed out on so much of the fun.

"The one of Professor McGonagall might be," replied Lily thoughtfully. "That's up near in the Astronomy Tower…or so I heard. Since most people don't go up there in the day the staff might not have taken it down yet."

"So how do _you_ know it's up there?" asked Peter suspiciously.

"I overheard someone from Hufflepuff mention it at breakfast," Lily replied as she ducked her head to avoid their gazes. Remus thought he caught the telltale sign of a blush on her face but didn't question her further.

"Do you think we've got time to go check it out now?" he asked instead. "Or shall we wait until our Astronomy class tonight and hope it's still there?"

"If we go up there now we'll be late for Defence Against the Dark Arts," Lily pointed out.

"I say we risk it," Sirius replied. "I missed seeing the one of Madam Pince altogether."

"You should have got up earlier," James teased, adding in a mock whisper to Remus, "He was lazing in bed until nearly noon on Sunday."

"I don't blame him," Remus responded. "Come on, if we hurry we might not be too late for class. I've not seen any of them yet."

Grabbing a cake from the serving platter, he headed to the door with the other boys. He realised at the doorway that Lily wasn't with them. Turning back he saw that she was still sitting at the table and there was a look of exasperation on her face. She gave him a rueful shake of her head but he hurried to catch up with the others who were already on their way to the tower.


	35. Mischief and Masterpieces

**Part Thirty Five – Mischief and Masterpieces **

"Here it is!" Sirius's voice called down from further up the spiral staircase.

"About time," Peter muttered from several paces behind Remus where he was struggling to run up the stairs.

Remus had to agree. He was still weak from his transformation and he'd got a slight stitch in his own side from their sprint up the stairs. He wasn't particularly looking forward to the dash back down either. He estimated half of the lesson would be over by the time he and Peter put in an appearance.

When they finally made it to the drawing Remus burst out laughing.

"Were they all like this one?" he asked.

"Yeah," James replied with a grin.

Remus looked at the picture again. It was a remarkable caricature and a wickedly funny likeness of the Transfiguration Professor. It was her, but with a few differences…her nose was just a shade too long, her bun seemed a little too tight and her frown was ever so slightly more forbidding than any of them had ever seen it.

"No wonder Filch is mad," Remus commented. "I wonder who's doing them…"

"Well if everyone knew, the mystery artist wouldn't be a mystery now would he?" Sirius pointed out. "Robbie has a betting pool going on who it is. You can guess an actual person, he'll give you different odds depending who you guess, or you can go for shorter odds and guess just which house the artist is from, or what year or both. Robbie has it all figured out."

"Nice to know Robbie's putting his extra time to good use since his parents made him quit the Quidditch team to concentrate on his studies," Remus commented wryly.

"Yeah," Sirius laughed. "We hope to follow in his footsteps one day ourselves."

"So how do you know it's a he?" Remus asked, wondering briefly if his friends had inside information or whether they were simply guessing.

"We don't know for sure," James replied as they reluctantly began walking briskly back down the stairs. "You can bet on male or female as well but the returns are so bad on those, it isn't worth it."

"So who have you bet on?"

"What makes you think we've bet on anyone?" James replied with an innocent look. "Gambling's against the school rules."

"So who _have _you bet on?" Remus asked again with a snort.

"I've got five galleons on Rhiannon, that fifth year girl who's always doodling in her textbooks. She's the only person I could think of who draws."

Remus looked at James askance. Five galleons on the identity of who the artist was! He hoped his friend had some inside information but somehow he doubted it. James just didn't realise the value of his money.

"I've got a couple of galleons on it being someone in Ravenclaw," Sirius chimed in. "I may put some more on when I figure out who."

"What about you Peter?"

"I've put a few sickles on it being Tristan Hill from Hufflepuff," he replied. "I overheard some of the Professors at breakfast yesterday morning saying they thought it might be him."

"Well it's as good a guess as any," Remus said, wondering whether he should risk betting a few sickles himself.

They finally arrived at the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom nearly fifteen minutes after the rest of the class.

"Nice of you to join us," Professor Knott-Bolt said as they hurried to their seats. "Twenty points from Gryffindor, five from each of you for your tardiness."

Remus took his seat sheepishly trying to avoid both the glares of Lily and the rest of the Gryffindors and the gleeful expressions of the Slytherins.

* * *

Remus put the drawings and the mystery artist out of his mind for the remainder of the lesson. But as they approached the Quidditch Supply room to collect brooms for their afternoon flying lesson he realised that Lily had been wrong about all the other pictures put up that day being removed.

Everyone was gathered around the notice board that normally displayed nothing more interesting than the list of who had booked the pitch to practice at what time and student notices for buying and selling Quidditch equipment.

Today however in the centre of the board was a drawing of Madam Hooch herself. Overly windswept and looking rather wild-eyed, the picture was drawing attention and laughter from both Gryffindors and Slytherins as they forcibly pulled themselves away from the notice board and joined the queue at the supply room door.

Remus laughed along with the rest before pushing his way back through the crowd to join the queue for brooms.

It was then that he realised that there was one student who wasn't looking at the drawing, or even attempting to get near to it. There was one boy who was merely leaning against the wall, watching the proceedings from further down the corridor.

Of course! Remus cursed himself for his forgetfulness. The one student who wasn't interested in seeing what all the fuss was about was the one student he knew of who was a talented artist.

No wonder Lily knew the picture had been up in the Astronomy Tower. She and Severus were friends; he even recalled mentioning to her that Severus liked to sketch before Christmas when they'd been talking about what presents to get everyone. They must have been plotting this together!

As he walked past Severus he wondered whether to risk asking him outright if his guess was correct but the forbidding scowl on the face of the other boy as soon as he saw him approaching gave him cause to pause.

"Interesting style," he commented instead. Severus didn't bother to reply - he merely shrugged and scowled even more. Remus smiled to himself as he walked off, he knew who to put his money on now.

* * *

Remus eventually tracked down Robbie on Wednesday evening to place his bet. He'd decided against betting on Severus specifically, he'd watched the other boy since Tuesday and seen his reactions to the rest of the study body as they looked at his drawings. Even though everyone loved them he still seemed nervous each time he entered any vicinity where one was on display. He clearly didn't want to be unmasked and take the credit for his work.

Remus also didn't like the idea of having to explain his theory to James and Sirius who would no doubt want to know just why he'd come to the conclusion it was Severus. He still had a feeling they would poke fun at Severus despite their unwitting appreciation for his talents.

Instead he put three sickles on the mystery artist being unmasked as a Slytherin boy and left it at that. He'd contemplated whether to add first year to his bet but knew that it would draw unwanted attention to Severus who was one of only a handful of first year boys in that house.

* * *

On Thursday morning Remus forced himself out of bed for his early morning studies once more. He'd slept in on Wednesday but told himself that it was only to be expected, it being his first night in a proper bed since before the weekend. But Thursday morning he knew he had to get up and begin practising the Charms that the rest of his class had had Monday afternoon to get started on.

He was still struggling to get any reaction from the apple that he was trying to get to move across the desk when he heard the sound of footsteps quietly descending the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory. One of the stairs creaked loudly and there was the sound of a sharply drawn breath before the footfalls resumed.

Putting down his wand quietly, he waited for whoever it was to appear. He wasn't surprised to see it was Lily sneaking down in the early morning light.

"You're up early," he commented from his seat near the window. Lily jumped backwards with a startled squeal, dropping a pile of parchment to the floor.

"Sorry," Remus said as he rushed across the room to help her. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't think anyone would be down here yet," Lily replied.

"You sound like you're up to something," Remus commented with a grin, pleased to see the flush of guilt spread across her cheeks. "You wouldn't be sneaking out to put up some more drawings would you?"

"How did you…?" Lily asked before stopping short. "Of course…you know that Severus draws too…"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," replied Remus with a smug expression. "Can I see today's?"

Lily passed them to him with a smile and he flicked through them to see what the rest of the school would be seeing when they emerged from their quarters.

"Madam Pomfrey's my favourite," he said as he handed them back to Lily's impatient hands.

"I like them all," Lily replied as she pushed open the portrait and stepped into the main school. "I'm going to ask Severus to do some copies for me since these all end up being taken down by the staff."

"You'd better hurry," Remus urged her at the sound of movement upstairs. "Severus will be wondering where you've got to."

Lily flushed again and refused to meet his eyes as she stepped out of the common room.

What was that all about? Surely Severus wasn't letting Lily take all the risks in putting up the pictures? Surely he'd realised that if Lily were caught she'd be taking all the blame for what was clearly a joint enterprise?

* * *

Remus went down to the Great Hall for breakfast and made sure that he was watching for Severus's reaction to the drawings. He watched the other boy cast a cursory glance at the drawing before taking his seat at the Slytherin table. He caught the smile he directed at Lily where she sat further down the Gryffindor bench.

Remus knew instinctively that Lily and Severus hadn't seen each other yet that morning. Severus was indeed letting Lily take all the risks. He wondered whether he should say anything to Lily but was hesitant to point out to her what she probably already knew.

Besides, he told himself, she hadn't been caught yet and there couldn't be that many drawings left to be displayed. The mystery artist may never be unmasked at all.

* * *

Friday afternoon Potions came around and Lily had still not been apprehended. Remus had not spoken to her about why she wasn't making Severus share the risks. No one else was still any the wiser as to who was behind the drawings.

"So who do you think the mystery artist is?" Sirius asked, clearly uninterested in starting their work that afternoon.

Remus ducked his head to avoid inadvertently looking at Severus and instead starting chopping at the roots on his desk. Sirius had directed the same question to him at least half a dozen times since he'd placed his bet.

"Concentrate on what _you're_ doing Mr Snape, not your neighbours," chastised Professor Slughorn in a friendly tone as he passed nearby. Remus looked across at Severus and realised that he'd been listening avidly to what Sirius was saying.

"Yeah, _Snivellus_ do your own work," hissed Peter as soon as the Professor had moved out of earshot and was safely distracted seeing what had apparently gone wrong with the potion of another student. The green smoke was certainly indicative of an error on the part of the girl who was trying not to choke on the fumes that she was frantically waving away with her textbook.

Here we go again, Remus thought to himself with a slight groan of annoyance. Could they get through just one week without someone starting the name-calling?

"So do you have any idea who the artist is?" asked Remus in a casual tone, knowing that Sirius was still only vaguely considering that it was someone in Ravenclaw.

"Well it has to be a Gryffindor," James commented from across the desk without looking up.

Remus ducked his head, added his roots to the cauldron and started to stir it. He didn't dare to look up in case he now glanced at Lily and accidentally gave away her part in the mischief.

"How are you so sure?" Sirius asked. "Could be someone from Ravenclaw. The second one appeared near the foot of their tower."

"One of the pictures was left on the common room table with some books earlier in the week," James answered.

"Who left it there?" inquired Peter.

"Don't know," James replied. "It was Tuesday morning and I got distracted by Remus getting back. When I turned back to see whose books they were they'd been moved."

"What books?" Sirius asked. "First years, fifth years?"

"Just general books, not textbooks for a particular year."

Remus finally looked up and saw that Sirius was looking disappointed.

"Two galleons up in smoke," Sirius muttered under his breath. "Wonder if Robbie 'll let me change my bet."

Remus shrugged, knowing his own sickles were likely to be lost as well. It seemed that none of them were set to make any money out of this venture…unless he placed a bet on it being Lily himself. If he put all his savings on Lily herself, and got decent odds, he might at least get back the money he'd placed on it being someone in Slytherin. Of course this was assuming that she got caught and it now seemed unlikely that she would.

He looked across to where Lily was working. She'd clearly heard most, if not all of the conversation and was smirking slightly as she stirred her own potion. Almost as if she felt his gaze on her she looked up, gave him a quick wink and turned back to her potion with an expression of innocence on her face.


	36. Cash Crisis

**Part Thirty Six – Cash Crisis**

By Saturday afternoon the whole school knew the identity of Hogwart's Mystery Artist…or at least they thought they did.

Lily Evans had been caught putting up a new drawing in the Great Hall by Dumbledore himself.

She was a minor celebrity in the eyes of her fellow Gryffindors and casually accepted their adoration and praise with sweet modesty.

Remus noted with amusement how she skilfully declined all requests to draw some person or another for her fellow students. She merely shrugged in good nature at the requests and joked that Dumbledore had confiscated her pencils.

Remus watched her laughing as she joked with the other students about which of the drawings was her favourite…never once letting on that she wasn't the one who'd pencilled them.

Eventually the room quietened and Remus had the chance to speak with her alone.

"You can't take all the blame," he insisted. "_You_ didn't draw the pictures, you only put them on display."

"I'm every bit as guilty in this as…" she looked around the room to make sure no one was listening, "…he is."

"I'm not saying your not," Remus replied. "But I don't see him taking any of the blame with you."

"He's not taking any of the credit either," Lily pointed out.

"You've got a detention for your part."

"I don't mind," Lily shrugged, a detention seemed to be of little consequence to her. "I said I'd take the risk."

"And he let you!"

"That's not fair," Lily argued. "He didn't want to put them up in the first place. I talked him into it."

"Did you tell Dumbledore that you didn't do them?" Remus asked, knowing the answer before Lily even opened her mouth to reply.

"No," Lily confirmed. "I'm not going to get someone else into trouble. It's only a detention anyway."

"That's not the point," Remus said as he stood up to head down to the Great Hall for dinner. "If Severus was any sort of friend he'd go and tell Dumbledore the truth."

Lily sat quietly and didn't follow after him. He glanced back at her as he pushed open the portrait that hid the entrance to the common room. She was looking into the fire with a sad expression on her face, the joy of earlier in the day evaporated at his words.

"It had to be said," he muttered to himself as he climbed out of the room, telling himself that it was for her own good that he was pointing out the faults of her friend.

* * *

By the next day the news about Lily had died down and Remus was once again caught up in his friends' latest exploits.

Although they'd been impressed to learn that it was a fellow Gryffindor who had been unmasked as the mystery artist they found that their funds were extremely low because they'd not had the foresight to place their wagers wisely.

Remus also privately suspected that they were slightly miffed at the idea of having been outshone by a girl.

"I can't ask my dad for more money just yet," James said as he heaped vegetables onto his plate. "He sent me ten galleons last month and with those fireworks we ordered from Diagon Alley and the bet I'm down to my last galleon already."

"My mum won't send me any," Sirius replied. "Not unless I somehow get moved to Slytherin. All my money these days comes from my Uncle Alphard."

"Can't he send you any more?" Peter asked.

"I don't like to ask," Sirius replied. "He doesn't have to send me anything, so it's kind of a bonus when he does. He tries to send me some each month but I'm not expecting anything from him for a couple of weeks."

"Why the fuss about more money? It's not like we have anything we need to buy," Remus pointed out mischievously. "We can't go into Hogsmeade until we're in the third year, and our supply of sweets and stuff is pretty high at the moment."

"Just pays to be prepared," James answered. "You never know when you might need a bit of extra cash. Especially when your best friend's birthday's approaching."

"What's that? Didn't quite catch it James," Peter joked. Sirius and Remus laughed and started to feign deafness too, much to the indignation of James.

* * *

All joking aside though, Remus was worried about his own financial situation. He'd never had as much money as James and Sirius and with James's birthday less than two weeks away he was not only at a loss for what to buy him, but also how to pay for it.

It was Sirius who came up with a plan that he hoped would get them out of the mess they were in.

"So what do you think?" Sirius asked after explaining the outline of his plan to Peter and Remus in the common room the following afternoon.

"I think you're mad," Peter promptly replied. Remus was still at a loss for words.

"What about you Remus?" Sirius asked, disregarding Peter's comment with a grin that showed he wasn't bothered by the teasing insult.

"What does James think about it?" Remus asked, hesitant to voice his own opinion until he heard the opinions of all the others.

"I've not told him yet," Sirius replied. "Thought we'd get it started to get funds for his birthday presents and then we'll bring him in on it afterwards."

Remus frowned as he mentally catalogued all the flaws in Sirius's latest scheme.

"He'll be all for it," Sirius added. Remus silently agreed that Sirius was probably right.

"But have you really thought this through?" Remus asked.

"Well I'm counting on you to point out the problems and then we'll work on getting round them together."

"Okay," Remus answered, giving the other boy a stern look. "First problem, what if we get caught?"

"That's not a problem if we don't." Sirius waved his hand in dismissal of the apparently minor issue of getting into trouble.

"Second problem – what's stopping your potential customers from doing the job themselves?"

"They don't want to risk getting caught," Sirius pointed out with a smirk.

"What makes you think they're going to pay us?" chimed in Peter.

"We'll get the money up front," Sirius replied. "Come on, it's perfect. All those kids being bullied by Bellatrix and her thuggish friends need us."

"They need to report it to the professors," Remus pointed out, thinking immediately of Lily although he didn't bring her name up.

"That'll just make things worse," answered Sirius, dismissing the suggestion at once. For once Sirius was probably right and Remus knew that unless the victims had some very serious complaints to make then the bullies would remain in the school and continue their reign of terror.

"Do you think it's right though, to charge people to hex the kids who are bullying them?" Remus asked.

"Why not?" Sirius looked stumped by the question. "We're offering a public service."

"And you're not remotely worried that your family will be angry if they find out about it?" Remus asked, the memory of Sirius's mother in a fit of temper was not one that he was likely to forget for some time.

"Who cares?" Sirius replied. The glint in his eye made Remus wonder if perhaps he might even be looking forward to tweaking the collective noses of his family once more.

"I guess we don't have any better ideas," Peter conceded. "And it might be fun."

"And we do need the money quickly," Remus agreed.

"Great!" Sirius started to rummage through the books and parchments he'd dumped on the desk. "Here's the price list I made this morning!"

Remus shook his head at how sure Sirius had been about talking them into his scheme as he skimmed through the list, his eyes becoming wider and wider as he read it.

"I'm spotting another problem," Remus said as he passed the list to Peter to look at. "I've never heard of half of these hexes and have no idea what they do or how to do them."

"That's what this is for," Sirius announced as he pulled a book from the bottom of the pile.

"_Harriman's Handbook of Hexes_," Remus read aloud. "Isn't that what you got the hex you used on Regulus out of?"

"That's right. Didn't think I'd leave it at home for him to look through while I'm here, did you?"

"And I suppose you know how to do all these hexes on your list already?" asked Remus, who was never entirely sure just how much Sirius had practised some of them in the past.

"Most of them. I'm charging more for the ones we'll need to practice…also more for those that require close proximity to the person you're hexing. If you look at the book it tells you all about them."

Remus obediently opened the book and started to flick through the pages. "I take it this was another Christmas present," he commented casually.

"Last year's Birthday present," Sirius replied as he pulled out another sheet of parchment. "Now this is the list of those I thought we'd approach first to offer our services to."

Remus looked at the list which comprised of several first and second year Hufflepuff students, a couple of first year Ravenclaw girls and one second year Gryffindor boy.

"And you _really_ think any of these students are going to pay to have their tormentors hexed?"

"There's only one way to find out," Sirius replied. "Rochelle and Clara will probably be in the library about now."

Remus watched as Sirius strode towards the common room door. "I suppose we'd better go with him," he said to Peter who looked as reluctant as he was to get involved in what was one of Sirius's most ill-thought out schemes yet.

* * *

They arrived at the library and immediately saw that Sirius was correct. The two Ravenclaw girls were both buried beneath a pile of books and writing furiously.

Sirius didn't hesitate to interrupt them and joined them at their table with his most charming smile.

Remus and Peter hovered nearby, keeping an eye out for any lurking Slytherins or Madam Pince, none of which they wished to hear about their plans.

"Let me get this straight…" Rochelle sneered with thinly veiled contempt once Sirius had finished his pitch. "You want to hex your cousin and her friends and want _us_ to pay you to do it?"

"I didn't put it quite like that," Sirius replied, glancing over towards Remus and Peter for backup.

"What makes you think we can't just do these hexes ourselves?"

"I'm sure you can," Sirius flattered them with another dazzling smile. "But think of all the time you'd be saving by letting us take care of them for you. Plus we'd be the ones who lose house points if we get caught…I hear Ravenclaw's favourite to win the House Cup this year…"

Rochelle looked like she was about to make another contemptuous remark when Clara spoke up. "Rabastan has been stopping me working a lot this last week, ordering me around. I'd have finished my Transfiguration essay two days ago if it weren't for him."

"Just think," Sirius interrupted, turning his attention to Clara. "One nicely aimed hex and he could be in the hospital wing for a few days…a few days when you could catch up on your work in peace and quiet."

"You're not actually listening to _him_ are you?" Rochelle turned on her friend. "He's a Black. He's as bad as they are."

Remus drew in a sharp breath as Sirius's face blanched white.

"Offer withdrawn!" Sirius snapped and stormed out of the library leaving Remus and Peter to follow.

Although he only had a few moments head start on them by the time Remus and Peter reached the corridor Sirius was nowhere in sight. The two boys went in opposite directions in order to try to track down their friend.

Fifteen minutes of searching later and Remus finally spotted his friend heading down the path towards the lake. He called out to him but Sirius either didn't hear him or was ignoring him.

He eventually caught up to Sirius when the other boy stopped and sank onto the ground near the water's edge.

"Maybe it'd have been better if I _had_ been put in Slytherin," said Sirius miserably as Remus sat down beside him. "No one sees me as a Gryffindor, they just see me as one of the Black family."

"The Hat put you where it thought you should be," Remus said after a moment of thought. "It sensed you had the courage of Gryffindor, the courage to break free of the rest of your family."

"Maybe it was wrong!"

"Maybe it was right," Remus countered. "But if you give up now then you'll never know."

Sirius didn't reply although Remus could tell he was considering his words carefully as he stared out over the water.

"This plan to get some money for James's presents isn't going to work, is it?" Sirius broke the silence with a question that was clearly a deliberate attempt to change the subject.

"Well it always _was _a bit doubtful," Remus pointed out.

"I guess we could always sell some of our chocolate frog cards," Sirius suggested with a shadow of a smile. "I hear Circe in Hufflepuff is still trying to get the card of her namesake and I finally got one two weeks ago. I'll see if she'll buy it and ask around to see what everyone else wants."

"A much better idea," Remus agreed as they stood up to return to the castle. "So no more talk about being better off in Slytherin, right?"

"Agreed," Sirius replied with a small smile. "So any ideas yet on what to actually get James?"

"Not a clue," answered Remus with a laugh.

"Me neither," admitted Sirius. "His parents have given him pretty much everything already. With his dad being a prankster we can't even fall back on questionable things his parents wouldn't approve of either."

"Well we've got nearly two weeks to come up with something," Remus said. "And I'm sure James will be dropping hints for something or other before then too."

Laughing in agreement they returned to the castle.


	37. Birthday Plots

**Part Thirty Seven – Birthday Plots**

"_Happy Birthday to yooooooou!_" sang the Gryffindors in an enthusiastic, if off key, rendition to the beaming James Potter.

Sirius, Remus and Peter produced their presents at the breakfast table and James took great pleasure in opening them with all the due ceremony he thought was required.

"I wonder what this could be," he said as he shook one of the presents enthusiastically before opening it to reveal a bumper pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "Thanks Peter. I just finished off the last box last night."

"No surprise there. You do get through them at a rather rapid pace," Remus pointed out.

James opened the sweets and popped one into his mouth before passing them around. He then turned to the rest of the presents.

"It's not much," Remus said when James began to open his gift. "You're difficult to buy for since you've got so much stuff already."

"_Quodpot Teams of America_," James read from the cover of the book.

"It explains about the game as well," Remus said. "I know you were confused when I tried to explain it over the holidays so I thought this might help."

"You're so lucky getting to go to America," Peter said as he looked at the book too.

Remus shrugged without replying. He had made the trip to the United States of America sound like nothing more than a luxurious holiday. He couldn't tell his friends that it had been an expensive waste of time during which his parents had explored yet another dead end to find a reported cure for lycanthropy, only to discover that it was nothing more than a rumour.

"The book's great," James said as he flicked through.

"Told you he'd like it," Sirius said. "Plenty of pictures in it."

"Git!" James said as he tossed a sweet across the table at his friend.

"And this one's from me," said Sirius, pushing his own parcel forward. "I know you've got one," he continued as James tore at the paper to reveal a new wizard's chess set. "But yours is looking a bit battered after that thrashing I gave you last week."

"They're all great," James said as he gathered his presents together.

"What did your parents send you?" Remus asked, knowing that the Potters' owl had arrived earlier that morning.

"Fifty galleons to spend as I like," James said with a wide grin. "I'll have to borrow your catalogue for ideas."

"Fifty galleons?" Sirius asked with a low whistle. "My parents wouldn't send me that much even if I were in Slytherin."

"What can I say?" James grinned. "They like to spoil me a bit."

Remus rolled his eyes whilst Sirius snorted with laughter.

"We do have one more surprise for you," Peter said with a grin.

"A surprise party," Sirius whispered as he leaned across the table to make sure that no one else was listening to their conversation. "We thought we'd take a trip to the kitchens tonight and then find somewhere in the school to have a party."

"What's wrong with the Gryffindor common room?" James asked.

"Andromeda can't go in there," Sirius pointed out. "She overheard us talking about it in the library and wanted to come along. She's taking every opportunity she can to skive off and have fun while she still can."

"Party tonight then," James declared in a voice louder than the others would have liked, though it didn't stop them from agreeing with him.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Remus, wake up!" the voice hissed in the darkness.

"Why are you whispering James?" asked Peter. "There's only four of us in this room and we're all in on the party."

Remus opened his eyes to see a rather sleepy looking James standing over him. "I'm up," he muttered before dragging himself from the bed.

"Great! Now for Sirius," James said as he bounded across the room to try to wake up the last of their group.

"Try a wet sponge," Peter suggested when Sirius continued to snore.

"Try a spell," Remus suggested instead.

"The only one I can think of would wake up everyone in the tower," James replied.

"We could always have the party without him," Peter said in a loud voice.

Remus grinned as that, like nothing else, got through to the sleepy Sirius and spurred him out of bed.

Five minutes later they were creeping down the stairs towards the common room.

"Did you hear something?" Sirius whispered just before they took the final bend.

"Someone's down there," James answered, lifting his hand to hold the others back whilst he went on ahead.

A moment later James reappeared and confirmed that the room was empty. "I think someone else might have been sneaking out," he said as they entered the room. The portrait was just swinging shut and I heard someone giggle."

"Probably some girls sneaking out to the kitchen," Sirius said. "We'd better hurry in case they beat us to the good stuff."

With that the four boys made their way out of the common room, much to the annoyance of the Fat Lady who was far from pleased at being disturbed for a second time in as many minutes.

They made their way to the kitchens, occasionally ducking around corners as they spotted other students engaged in their own midnight wanderings. The NEWT Astronomy class had apparently overrun and several of the students were still making their way back to their common rooms. They also caught sight of one or two students who, like themselves, shouldn't have been wandering about at all.

"I love how different the school is at night," James commented in hushed tones. "We practically have the run of the place."

"Pity you still don't know your way around," Sirius muttered. "Andromeda's waiting for us _this way_ remember."

"Forgot about her," James admitted as he turned towards the Slytherin quarters.

"Charming," said Andromeda, appearing as though from nowhere, and clearly having heard the discussion. "You've met Ted Tonks haven't you?" She pointed behind them.

They turned towards the corridor leading to the kitchens where one of the older Hufflepuff boys was waiting for them.

"Are we expecting anyone else?" Sirius asked once they were all crowded around the entrance to the kitchens.

"Not unless you invited McGonagall," James replied. "The way you were flattering her earlier I half thought you might."

"Just keeping on her good side," Sirius said with a grin. "In case we get caught later."

"I don't plan on getting caught," James retorted. "I've had my share of detentions this year. I don't plan on getting any more."

"If we don't get a move on you may get another one," Ted pointed out as he tickled the pear to open up the entrance to the kitchens.

Once the entrance was revealed they crowded inside. They had barely stepped over the threshold when they realised that they were not the first students to make requests of the Hogwarts house elves that night.

"_Snivellus_," Sirius muttered.

Remus looked around him and saw that Severus was indeed sitting at one of the stools in the kitchen. He was not alone and it was clear that there had been plans made for another party that same night.

"Just ignore him," Lily said as she nudged Severus. Lily's friend Veronica sat quietly beside her and Remus guessed it had been those two who they'd heard leaving the Gryffindor quarters earlier that night. Severus seemed to be taking Lily's advice but the final person in the room, another first year Slytherin student by the name of Justin Wilkes was clearly unhappy with their arrival.

Although the boy didn't seem bothered by the insult to his friend he made it obvious that he was far from happy with the idea of sharing the treats the house elves had already provided.

"We were here first," Wilkes said as he pulled out his wand and pointed it towards Sirius and James.

"Students share, students share," one of the house elves said pleadingly. "Plenty to go around."

"Share with Slytherins?" James looked aghast at the very idea.

"Hey!" Andromeda said with a glare at him as she poked him in the back and pushed herself into view for the others in the room.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Forgot you were that house. You're more normal than the rest of 'em."

"I have some friends in my own house who'd disagree with that," Andromeda said, the warning in her voice clear. "Of course we can share," she added to the nearest house elf who looked relieved at her words.

"I'm sure we can all get along for an hour or two," Remus added.

"We'll need more food though," Peter pointed out and the rest nodded in agreement.

The house elves were happy to oblige and it wasn't long before they were loaded down with more food than they could ever be expected to eat.

"So where are we headed?" James asked as they filed back into the corridor. "You did find somewhere for us to have our party, didn't you?"

"I thought we could use one of the empty classrooms," Sirius replied as he juggled a bottle of pumpkin juice from one hand to the other.

"We were going to head to one of the second floor ones that aren't used for regular classes," Veronica piped up.

"First years," Ted muttered. "Gotta love 'em."

"You got a better idea?" Sirius asked.

"The room of requirement of course," Ted replied. "Found out about it in my second year and it's come in right handy over years."

"What's the room of requirement?" several of their group asked curiously.

"Best room in Hogwarts," Andromeda said. "Lead the way Ted. You'll love it."

Remus was as curious as the rest of the group as they made their way up the stairs to the seventh floor. His gasp of astonishment was echoed by the rest of the first years as he watched a door appear in the wall in front of them.

"After you," Ted said as he waved the rest of them inside.

Remus looked around the room and wondered how it was they hadn't come across it before. It seemed to him that all the students would use this room if they knew where it was.

There were more than enough comfy chairs and sofas inside the room and a roaring fire making the large room nice and warm. There were plenty of tables for them to place the food and drinks on and plates and cutlery stacked up ready for them to use.

A wizard wireless was set up near an open space on the far side of the room and Andromeda made her way across the room to tune it to a station with lively dance music playing.

"Won't the professors hear it?" Lily asked.

"The room's soundproof," Ted replied. "And the door will have sealed behind us so no one can follow us in here."

"I'm surprised the teachers don't use this room themselves," Sirius commented.

"They do when they need it," Ted confirmed. "But the room is different depending on what you want it for. It only appears when someone has a real need for it and is equipped for whatever you want it for."

"So why did you go to the kitchens for food?" Severus asked.

"It can't make food or drink appear," Andromeda said. "Though we've tried it often enough just to make sure."

"Trust _Snivellus _to ask a stupid question like that," James muttered with a smirk at Sirius.

"It's not a stupid question at all," Ted said with a harsh look at James. "The room can produce other things that seem more complicated than simple food. And I asked the same question myself when I was told about this place."

Remus smiled himself at James being taken down a peg or two by the older student. But his friend's mood was soon one of excitement again as they began to dig into the food.

Remus wondered, albeit briefly, whether the party might be a way of mending bridges between the rest of the first years. When Lily approached him with Severus in tow, he knew that she'd had the same idea.

Unfortunately no one else seemed to want to make the effort to get along. James and Sirius entertained the rest of the Gryffindors with jokes and stories whilst Andromeda and Ted chatted together.

He chatted with Lily and tried to speak with Severus as well but the other boy made it clear he didn't want to speak with him and eventually drifted off to talk with Justin.

"I wonder if it's always like this," Lily commented sadly. "Surely more of the Slytherin students get along with students from other houses than just Andromeda."

"It'd be a war zone instead of a school if she was the only one," Remus replied.

"Sometimes it seems as if it is," Lily replied. "If it isn't James firing off hexes, it's Sirius jinxing someone."

"They're just having fun," Remus said. "They're just high spirited. They've never inflicted any permanent damage on anyone."

"I don't think the students they hex would agree with you," Lily muttered. "And the prefects just let them get away with it."

"They are quite careful about not doing stuff like that in front of prefects," Remus replied. "And when they do get caught they take the blame for their actions."

He could tell that Lily knew exactly what he was talking about. She turned to him with a defensive expression on her face. "It may interest you to know that Severus joined me in detention of his own free will."

"He did?" Remus asked sceptically.

"Ask Hagrid if you don't believe me," Lily retorted. "Or Dumbledore himself. He saw us coming back to the school."

"Okay, okay." Remus raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Besides, you stand need to talk about my choice of friends," Lily continued. "Are you expecting James and Sirius to take notes for you when you're away next month?"

"Away?" Sirius asked as he suddenly appeared beside them. "What are you going to be away for?"

"I don't know that I am yet," Remus said hurriedly with a glare at Lily. "Just my grandmother's taken a turn for the worse."

"You should have said something," Sirius chided.

"Didn't want to ruin James's birthday with bad news," Remus lied. "But they're going to see how she goes for a couple of weeks and only summon me home if it's really necessary."

"You're going home _again_?" Severus asked as he joined the group.

"I don't know yet," Remus replied at the same time as Sirius told Severus to mind his own business.

Pretty soon everyone decided to call it a night and Remus found himself walking alongside Lily as they made their way back to the common room.

"I don't think our friends are ever going to get along, are they?" Lily asked with a sigh.

"It'd take a miracle," Remus agreed. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be one forthcoming, even if it would have made both their lives that much more peaceful.


	38. Breaking Point

**Part Thirty Eight – Breaking Point**

By the time that the next full moon approached Remus had come to the conclusion that Sirius was like a dog with a bone.

He asked about Remus's grandmother at least twice a day and Remus was finding it harder and harder to lie.

On the day before he was due to be collected from class by Professor McGonagall he actually lost his temper.

"Would you give it a ruddy rest," Remus snapped after Sirius had asked if he'd heard anything from home for the fourth time that day. "I've not heard anything at all and I'd tell you if I had."

Sirius stepped back as though he'd been slapped. Remus felt a flash of momentary guilt but forced himself to ignore it. The only way that Sirius would be satisfied was if he knew the truth and since he wasn't allowed to tell him, the other boy had to figure it out for himself.

Nearly as irritating as Sirius's constant questions was Lily and her persistent apologies for what she'd let Sirius and Severus overhear.

He had told her again and again, sometimes snapping quite harshly, that it wasn't her fault. He should have been taking more notice of who was nearby whilst they were speaking. He was just thankful that Severus wasn't questioning him either. In fact it seemed as though the other boy had far more on his mind than Remus's secret.

When he came across him heading towards Hagrid's hut on Sunday evening he'd been torn between asking the boy what was bothering him and leaving him to his own devices.

In the end he decided not to approach Severus. Having gone through so many rebuffs from the other boy Remus was now reluctant to make the first move to try to be friends. He didn't approve of the way James and Sirius continued to call him names and tease him, but he no longer made the effort to act as a buffer.

Now, as he watched Sirius gather his books and move across the room to where James was making a half-hearted attempt at his homework, he wondered if he might be losing the only friends he'd made…and all because of his secret.

"Remus Lupin!"

Remus looked up at the sound of his name and saw Professor McGonagall standing in at the entrance to the common room.

"If I might have a word," she said as she waved him over and out of the room.

Remus nodded before looking to where Sirius and James were looking at him with blatant suspicion.

He tried his best to ignore them as left the common room and followed Professor McGonagall to her office wondering why he'd been pulled out of the common room a day early. For one awful moment he wondered if perhaps there was some real emergency at home this time.

"I'm sure you know why you're here," McGonagall said, waving Remus to a seat.

Remus shook his head in confusion.

"You haven't been following the lunar chart any further ahead than the next full moon?" she asked quietly.

Remus shook his head. He hated thinking about the coming full moon at all, and he certainly never thought of the one following that one. He wondered now if it was because he was secretly hoping that a cure might be found if he didn't look too far ahead. Then there would be no point in planning his incarceration in several months time.

"Well," McGonagall explained. "In June the full moon will fall in the middle of the week. Unfortunately it will be in the middle of exam week for the first year students."

"Oh." Remus didn't know what to say to her announcement. He didn't set the examination timetable for the students and he certainly had no control over the lunar cycle. He wasn't sure what it was Professor McGonagall was expecting him to say.

"Unfortunately you will still have to sit your exams," McGonagall said with a friendly smile. "I know you'll be sorry to hear that we can't make allowances for you to skip them."

Remus smiled dutifully at her attempt at humour. "I don't suppose I get extra time to study?" he asked with a smile of his own.

"For one of them yes," McGonagall confirmed. "The other two, I'm afraid you'll have to sit during the weekend before the full moon. Since you will be losing study time on two exams and gaining on the third Professor Dumbledore has decided to make it your choice as to which exams you take early and which one late."

"Can I get extra time to study for Charms?" Remus asked hopefully, knowing that it was the subject he was falling behind on the most.

"Unfortunately that exam is on the Monday so you'll be able to take that with the rest of the year. The ones that you…er…clash with are Transfiguration, Potions and History of Magic."

"Can I have extra time for Transfiguration?" Remus asked cautiously, knowing that the Professor sitting opposite him was well aware of his struggles in the subject.

"I thought that might be your decision," McGonagall said with a smile. "I'll let Professors Binns and Slughorn know to have your papers ready for their examinations early. Now you'd better return to your classmates before they start wondering if you've gone home again."

"They won't be surprised if I do," Remus said. "They think my grandmother's illness has taken a turn for the worse."

"In that case I'll be sure to use that excuse when I call you out of class tomorrow afternoon," McGonagall said. "I'm glad to see you're finally getting used to all this and that it isn't causing too much trouble with your friends."

Remus opened his mouth to speak but was hesitant to say anything.

"It isn't causing trouble with your friends, is it?" McGonagall questioned when she saw his expression.

"No Professor," Remus replied quietly as he let himself out of the room.

------------------------------------------------

Remus arrived back in the common room a short while later and knew instantly that his ears should have been burning in his absence.

"I'm telling you there's something odd going on," James was saying. "I've never heard of anyone being called out of school as frequently as Remus and he always looks awful when he comes back."

James and Sirius were sat at one of the tables with their backs towards the door. Remus coughed to make his presence known and both boys jumped at the sound.

"Remus, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked. "We thought you'd gone again."

"No such luck," Remus joked weakly. "You can't get rid of me that easy and I can't get out of our Charms test tomorrow either."

"I'd rather get out of the Transfiguration class on Tuesday," James muttered. "I'm sure I'm going to fail this one."

Remus snorted. "You're top of the class and you know it, so stop fishing for any more compliments and help me study for Charms."

James grinned at the compliment as he complied with the request.

------------------------------------------------

The following afternoon Remus found himself summoned from Herbology and tried to force himself to look at least slightly surprised.

He heard the muttering between James and Sirius as he gathered his things together and was sure he caught a sarcastic "what a surprise" from one of the boys.

Lily had also noticed him leaving and made sure to call after him that she would be sure to take notes for his classes.

Remus smiled as James and Sirius heard her and told her not to bother, that they had the matter well in hand. He silently hoped that Lily ignored them. Her notes were certainly going to be better than anything his friends produced.

------------------------------------------------

When Remus finally returned to the school at the end of the week he found no less than four sets of notes for his missed lessons. The notes from James and Sirius were the best they'd produced yet and Lily's were wonderfully concise as usual. He even found that Peter had done notes for Astronomy, the lesson James and Sirius persistently messed around in.

He felt tears coming as he looked at the pile of parchment in front of him and regretted his earlier temper with his friends.

Feeling guilty he rummaged round in his bag for the stack of sweets his parents had sent the weekend before. He soon tracked down Lily and gave her first choice of the confectionery before setting out to find the rest of his friends so that he could let them loose on the rest.

Only two more full moons to go before the end of the school year. Remus breathed a sigh of relief that the end was in sight but wondered how he would ever manage another six years like this one.

He finally tracked down his friends in the hospital wing. James was scowling in one of the beds whilst Sirius and Peter were sat on either side of him with equally annoyed expressions on their faces.

Madam Pomfrey hurried towards him as soon as he stepped through the door. "Is something wrong Remus? Did you forget something?"

"No," Remus replied with a nervous glance at his friends who had spotted his arrival but were thankfully out of earshot. "I'm just here to see my friends."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and waved him across to the bed. "Just five more minutes," she warned.

"What was that all about?" James asked with a nod to the healer.

"I think she thought Remus was ill," Sirius said knowingly. "He certainly looks it."

"Thanks mate," Remus muttered. "So what happened to our fearless leader this time?"

"_Snivellus_," James complained before he dove into the sweets that Remus had dumped on the bed.

"What did you do this time?" asked Remus, his voice laden with suspicion.

"Nothing," James declared innocently. "Just called out to him in the hallway and he turned round and cursed me with boils."

"Calling him _Snivellus_ were you?" Remus guessed.

"Amongst other things," Peter said with a grin.

"Seems old _Snivellus_ has a new nickname courtesy of Lily," Sirius explained. "She's taken to calling him Sev and we just suggested a few variations."

"Oh you didn't?" Remus looked at his three friends for even the slightest hint of a guilty conscience. Not a one of them looked even the slightest bit contrite.

He wondered, not for the first time, how his friends could be so wonderful to him but so awful to Severus, just because he was different. Did they only know that he was even more different than the young Slytherin?


	39. Chess

**Part Thirty Nine – Chess**

Remus shot up in bed at the sound of an almighty crash. He looked around the room and saw that he was the last one to rise. Another crash had him hurrying to grab his clothes and make his way downstairs to the common room.

"Ruddy first years!" screamed Isaac Clutterbuck, a particularly stressed out seventh year. "Some of us have NEWTs to study for." He pushed past Remus with a glare as he hurried upstairs to his dormitory, parchment and books spilling over.

Remus heard screams, yells and more crashes as he turned the final corner into common room. At least he thought it was the common room. It was a little difficult to tell for sure.

Debris was scattered around the room as various chess pieces, far larger than normal, fought each other, using anything they could get their hands on to gain the upper hand.

"Hey Remus!" Sirius called from where he and Peter were hiding behind an overturned couch. Remus waved back cautiously and scanned the room for James. He soon saw him perched in the window.

"What happened?" he called out to James who had a look on his face that seemed to be a cross between mild horror and slight hysterics.

"What was that?" James called back. It was a little hard to hear each other over the battle that was being waged between the chess pieces. "Hold on, I'll come to you."

Remus rolled his eyes. Like he was going to leave his sanctuary at the bottom of the stairs any time soon. James climbed over a couple of broken chairs before being felled by a particularly vicious bishop who was brandishing one of said chair's legs like a sword. James kicked at the piece and crawled to his feet. He hopped onto the stair beside Remus and shot him a grin.

"What did you do?" Remus asked, knowing instinctively that his friend was at the bottom of this.

"Well Peter and I were up early and having a game of chess and we decided to make things more interesting."

"By trashing the common room?"

"No, just by making the pieces a bit bigger than they normally are. We used an engorgement charm on the pieces."

"I can see that," Remus pointed out as a knee-high knight escaped out the portrait hole as a stunned looking fifth year returned from breakfast. The girl recovered herself fairly quickly and turned to exit the room rather sharply.

"We didn't realise that without an equally large playing board they'd just go wild," James explained.

"But why make them larger anyway?"

"Why not?" James replied with a shrug. "Sirius thought it was funny when he arrived just before you did."

"That's because Sirius is as big an idiot as you," Remus commented with a grin that took the edge off his words.

"I think we should make a break for the cover of the couch," James suggested and without further ado he stepped into the fray, dragging Remus along behind him.

"I don't suppose any of you bothered to learn the counter-spell before you decided to do this?" Remus asked as they bypassed the white queen who was trying to demolish one of the black castles with a poker from the fireplace.

"Figured you would know how to turn them back again," James replied as they kicked several alarmingly vicious pawns out of the way.

"We haven't done these charms in class yet," Remus pointed out. "What makes you think I'd know how to reverse this?"

"Oh well," James shrugged. "We'll sort it out eventually."

With that casual comment James hopped over the couch and sat down beside Peter. Remus followed and landed in an ungracious heap in Sirius's lap.

"Remus you need to lay off the chocolate," Sirius said with a grunt as he pushed him to the floor.

"Git!" Remus replied as he poked his friend in the ribs. "Did you two notice that one of the knights escaped out the door?"

"Yeah," Peter replied. "Two pawns and a bishop escaped before you came down too."

"I can't believe none of the older students hasn't undone this mess already," Remus commented as he realised that they were the only one in the common room on the Saturday morning. Other than the irate Isaac and the stunned fifth year girl, he hadn't seen another soul.

"The fifth and seventh years are mostly in the library, with their exams being so soon," James explained.

"And all the second years are in detention after that food fight on Monday," Sirius added.

"The sixth years had Astronomy last night so they're still lazing in bed," Peter chimed in.

"And the third and fourth years are mostly in Hogsmeade since it's the last one of the year," James concluded.

"So no one to take the blame for this apart from us," Remus muttered.

"Don't you find it interesting to watch how the pieces interact without instructions?" James asked. "We could say it was a behavioural study."

"Hey look at the queen!" Peter exclaimed, pointing towards the fireplace. Remus turned to see what he'd spotted and saw that the queen who had acquired the poker was now heating it in the fire.

"Cool," Sirius said with a grin.

"Er…she seems to be coming this way," James said. He leapt to his feet a moment later and grabbing Peter by the arm he bolted for the portrait hole. Remus felt himself tugged to his feet by Sirius and being dragged along in a similar manner.

Sirius shut the portrait hole closed before the queen could reach them and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think we should hide out in the library and plead ignorance if anyone asks," Peter suggested.

Sirius and James nodded thoughtfully at the idea until Remus felt obliged to point out to them that at least one infuriated seventh year knew they were responsible.

The Fat Lady decided to pipe up at this point and added that she was duty bound to answer any questions Professor McGonagall might ask as well. Remus knew, as did his friends, that the head of their house would be sure to ask questions of everyone with regard to the destruction that they could hear was still continuing behind the portrait hole.

Remus looked at the Fat Lady sheepishly. "Did you notice which way the escapees went?" he asked.

"Downstairs," the Fat Lady replied shortly. "I suggest you ask other portraits as you head down. I'm sure you'll track them down…eventually."

The four of them headed down the stairs, occasionally stopped to ask some of the more helpful portraits which direction they should go in.

This worked as far as the entrance hall where they were informed that the pieces had left the castle itself and headed out into the grounds.

Remus and the others ran through the doors and looked about for signs of destruction.

"I can't hear any smashing glass," Peter commented.

"Me neither," Sirius replied. "We can give the greenhouses a miss."

"How about we try the Quidditch pitch?" James suggested.

Remus nodded along with the others and they all headed in that direction. They found the pitch occupied by the Hufflepuff team, getting in some extra practice for their match against Slytherin early the following month. Unfortunately they didn't find anything out of the ordinary there and nothing that looked remotely like enchanted chess pieces.

"I think we should walk the perimeter of the school," Remus said with a shrug. "They can't have gone far."

"I don't know," Sirius mused. "They were going at quite a clip."

"Still, no harm in walking the perimeter," James agreed. "If they're still on the grounds we'll find them."

The four boys set off briskly, keeping their eyes open for the pieces. They were about to head back inside when Sirius called out and pointed to their left.

"There they are!" he yelled as he hurried across the grounds. Remus turned to see where he was pointing and felt ill as he realised that the four escaped chess pieces were waging war on the Whomping Willow, and his friends were heading straight for it.

"Don't you think we're in enough trouble already. We're supposed to keep away from that tree," Remus called out in a panicked voice but his friends didn't stop. He didn't know what he was more scared of, his friends being hurt by the tree, or his friends discovering the tunnel that it concealed.


	40. Scars

**Part Forty - Scars**

"Get away from the tree!" Remus screamed as James and Sirius tried to dodge the lethal branches that were wildly trying to fend off the chess pieces. Remus saw with relief that Peter at least had listened to his warning.

Remus didn't know how long he stood on the very edge of the area which the tree held dominance over. He danced nervously from one foot to the other as James and Sirius fought off the tree and the chess pieces, the latter of which had no intention of leaving their battle.

Suddenly one of the largest of the branches came down in a sweeping motion and Remus heard himself screaming as it easily cast aside his two friends, throwing them across the grounds like no more than bothersome flies. He ran towards James and Sirius and was relieved to see that the latter was already moving. James on the other hand remained motionless on the grass.

"Peter, run and get Madam Pomfrey," Remus screamed as he stumbled across to James, his knees going weak at the sight of the blood trickling down from a deep cut in his forehead. Sirius had made it to James before he had and he held the end of his robes to the cut to try to stop the rapid flow of blood.

Madam Pomfrey ran across the grounds, Peter and Professor McGonagall trailing behind her. Remus breathed a sigh of relief. Madam Pomfrey could fix this, he was sure of it. James would wake up any moment, he'd be perfectly well and he'd soon be laughing about his adventure and complaining about the detentions that McGonagall would be handing out any moment.

From the corner of his eye Remus saw McGonagall return the chess pieces to their normal size and temporarily freeze the tree in its current position. The Professor looked stern as she came closer to them but Remus could also see familiar concern and worry in her eyes and that more than anything frightened him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've tended his injuries," Madam Pomfrey was saying to Professor McGonagall as Remus shamelessly eavesdropped on their conversation a short while later in the hospital wing. "This next hour or so will be critical. Head injuries are so unpredictable, even for wizards. If he hasn't woken up by lunchtime I'll send to St Mungo's for a specialist. I imagine he'll be sitting up and causing mischief long before then though."

"What about Sirius?" McGonagall asked quietly.

"He's pretty bruised but they should fade in a few days. He's also got a cut to the back of his left shoulder where one of the branches got him."

"That should be easily healed though," McGonagall replied with an audible sigh of relief.

"Well it would if he'd let me treat it," a frustrated Madam Pomfrey muttered. "He seems to think it would be cool – as he put it – to have a battle scar."

"Boys will be boys," McGonagall laughed.

"I don't know if that's entirely the reason for his reluctance," Madam Pomfrey whispered and Remus leaned closer to the doorway to hear her words. "He's seen young Remus's scars, or some of them at least, and he seems to have got it into his head that if he gets rid of it his friend will be offended and even more ashamed of his own scars."

Remus scowled at her words and looked back down the ward to where Sirius was sitting next to James's bed, waiting for his best friend to open his eyes.

Meanwhile the adults continued their conversation and Remus listened closely, his eyes never leaving Sirius who was now the subject of their discussion.

"Back at school for four months and they haven't faded."

"The Black family have always been overly harsh."

"Normal injuries should have faded long before now."

"You think they're magically inflicted?"

"I'm sure of it."

"I'll have to report it to Professor Dumbledore."

"What about Sirius? The school holidays are only a few months away."

"He won't come forward himself, he's a true Gryffindor and would see it as a sign of weakness if he were to ask for help."

"But he's just a child."

"He's a Black. Children in the Black family grow up quickly…"

Remus shifted from one foot to the other as he nervously looked at Sirius. He wondered if he should say anything to the adults about what he knew. Casual comments Sirius had made like 'spare the wand and spoil the child' and 'thought your parents were like mine' after glimpsing a few of his own scars came back to him in a rush.

Then he remembered what Madam Pomfrey had said about Sirius wanting to keep his scar so that he wouldn't upset or offend him. "We'll see about that," Remus muttered as he stalked across the room.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Sirius asked, his eyes leaving James for only a fraction of a second. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Why did you refuse to have Madam Pomfrey heal your shoulder?" Remus asked instead. Sirius flushed and refused to look at him. "She seems to think it's because you don't want to upset me because I…er…I have…some scars of my own."

"I don't want to talk about it," Sirius muttered. "What did they say about James?"

"I'll tell you what they said if you answer my question," Remus offered, even as he felt a twinge of guilt for causing his friend more worry. But then he remembered the worried tones of Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall and he realised that they were far more concerned with the welfare of Sirius Black than James Potter.

Sirius scowled back at him but gave a nod of agreement.

"Madam Pomfrey says the next couple of hours will be critical but that they expect James to be awake by lunchtime. If he isn't, they're going to send to St Mungo's for someone. They didn't sound that worried about him though. Seemed to think he'd be up to mischief in no time at all."

"Good," Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.

"They're more worried about you," Remus continued. "Why won't you let Madam Pomfrey heal your shoulder?"

"She can't heal everything," Sirius replied. "Look at all your scars."

"I don't have that many," Remus lied, knowing that none of his friends had seen the full extent of his self inflicted wounds.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"You're lying."

"You don't know that."

Sirius turned away from James for a moment to turn a sharp glare on Remus and he felt himself squirming under the intensity of his gaze. "If you aren't hiding more scars then why do you always get up at the crack of dawn and hit the showers before anyone else is awake? Why do you get dressed behind the curtains of your bed? Why do you still wear the long sleeved shirts even now it's warmer and the rest of us are wearing our summer clothes? And if you aren't hiding more scars why can't you look me in the eye right now?"

"I…er…"

"Don't," Sirius snapped.

"What?"

"Don't lie to me again," Sirius ordered. "Keep your secrets if you must, but don't you dare lie to me again. I _know_ you have scars. You can at least admit it instead of lying."

"That's enough Mr Black," Professor McGonagall ordered as she approached the bed. "Mr Potter needs peace and quiet to recover, not arguments."

Sirius flushed at her quiet reprimand and turned back to look at the still unconscious James. He couldn't meet McGonagall's eyes. The Head of Gryffindor continued to walk down the ward with Madam Pomfrey, their tones hushed in the now silent ward.

"Sorry," Sirius muttered with a sheepish glance at Remus. "I'm just worried about James. I didn't mean it."

"I'll forgive you, but only if you let Madam Pomfrey heal your shoulder," Remus replied quietly.

"You don't even know if she'll be able to," Sirius pointed out.

"She can cure almost anything."

"But she can't heal your scars?"

"No," Remus whispered. "Mine are…different."

"Different how?"

"I can't tell you. Please let her fix your shoulder."

"But she might see…" Sirius's voice trailed off and he flushed with embarrassment.

"You're scared she might see your own scars?" Remus guessed. "One's from your parents?"

Sirius nodded silently.

"She already knows about them, so does Professor McGonagall."

"You didn't?" Sirius looked at his friend in shock at the suspected betrayal.

"No," Remus hurriedly assured him. "I swear I didn't. But that's what they were talking about just now. I think they know what your parents do to you. They're worried about you." He hesitated a moment. "So am I."

"I'll be all right," Sirius assured him with a grin. "It's not like I have to live with my awful family all year round or anything. I've got you three for my family now."

"Speaking of which, where's Peter disappeared to?"

"He's gone to raid the kitchens for us," Sirius replied with a grin. "He'll be waiting to sneak the food in once McGonagall has gone."

Remus wondered briefly whether to leave things at that now that Sirius was slightly more cheerful, but he knew he had to get Sirius's agreement to getting Madam Pomfrey to treat his shoulder. He hated his own scars and would do anything to be able to get rid of them. Unfortunately they were werewolf inflicted and impossible to erase completely. "Please let her heal your shoulder," he pleaded.

Sirius looked as though he was about to argue again but finally he gave a small nod and a sigh of resignation. "Will you ask her to look at your own?" he asked. "She might be able to heal them. You won't know unless she tries."

Remus nodded, knowing that Madam Pomfrey had seen each and every one of his scars and had already spoken sadly of how there was nothing she could do to restore his body how it had once been. Each month she'd seen the new additions and Remus had spied the sheen of tears in her eyes as she cleansed and repaired the damage as best she could.

"You won't tell them about my parents, will you?" Sirius whispered. "Promise me. It'll only cause more trouble for me if my mum think I've been complaining about them at school."

"They already know," Remus pointed out.

"No, they suspect," Sirius corrected. "They don't actually know. Please don't say anything to them."

Remus frowned, wondering how it was that Sirius could have guessed that Remus had indeed wanted to say something to Madam Pomfrey or Professor McGonagall. He wanted to help his friend and wished that he could believe that the best way to do so was to keep quiet. "They might be able to help you," he suggested.

"By being taken away from my parents and put in some orphanage?" Sirius asked with a bark of harsh laughter. "Did you know that most wizard orphanages are run by the old pureblood families who've fallen on hard times? People who think the same as my parents do?"

Remus shook his head.

"And did you know that wizard orphans can only come to Hogwarts on scholarship. There are just fourteen students here on those scholarships at any one time. They choose a boy and a girl from each year, no more, no less. If I get taken from my parents I won't be able to come back here." Sirius's voice was starting to crack and he looked away momentarily. "The boy in our year on scholarship is Rowan McMillan in Ravenclaw. He's really smart, top of the class and loves it here. If I was put in a home, I'd be competing with him and all the other orphans in the country for a place here."

"But aren't your fees already paid up?" Remus asked quietly.

"My parents only pay a year in advance," Sirius muttered. "For all I know they may refuse to pay my fees next year just to spite me because of being put in Gryffindor. Like I'm a real Gryffindor, hah!"

"You _are_ a real Gryffindor," Remus whispered. "You're much braver than me. I didn't even want to go near the Whomping Willow."

"But I'm not brave enough to risk losing my place here at Hogwarts," Sirius countered. "If my mum refuses to pay my fees next year then I don't know what I'll do…"

"She'll pay them," Remus assured him. "You'd make the household miserable with pranks if you didn't get to come back here."

Sirius grinned at the thought. "I guess you're right on that one. And it's not like they can send me to one of the other schools instead."

"Why not?" Remus asked, suspecting there was more to the casual comment than first appeared.

"Dad was expelled from Durmstrang so the whole Black family is on the exclusion list for the next one hundred years. And mother thinks Beauxbatons is too expensive and that the uniform is too muggle-like."

"So Hogwarts was the lesser of three evils?" Remus asked with a chuckle.

"Yep," Sirius confirmed. "Plus they didn't have to pay the expense of a port key to get me here like they'd have had to for one of the others. They'll probably carry on paying my fees as long as I don't cause too much trouble for them and keep a low profile." Remus snorted at this.

"But I daren't rock the boat by complaining about my treatment at home. I don't want to leave Hogwarts forever just yet. Promise me you won't say anything about my parents."

Remus finally nodded his agreement, and Sirius smiled in relief.

"You are a real Gryffindor you know," he offered with a smile. "McGonagall said so just now and she'd be one to know about it."

Sirius's smile stretched into a grin and Remus knew that he could never betray his friend's trust. All he could do was be there for him if things got worse for him, and he suspected that they somehow would.


	41. One for All and All for One

**Part Forty One – One for All and All for One**

"Remus, my head hurts," James whined dramatically as he collapsed across the common room table and, not by coincidence, Remus's Astronomy assignment.

Remus looked at his friend, and felt another stab of guilt for his friend's recent injuries.

"Madam Pomfrey said that you're fine now," Sirius commented as he worked calmly on his own assignment.

"I think I came back to class too soon."

"You were fine in flying this morning," Peter added with a sly smile.

"But my head _hurts_," James declared. "This assignment's going to take me all night and I think I need to sleep."

"Would you like me to take you back to Madam Pomfrey?" Remus offered as he set down his quill.

"No!" James hurriedly assured him with a shake of his head that, if Remus hadn't been so distracted by his concern for his friend, he'd have realised wasn't the movement of someone whose head was giving them pain.

"Perhaps you should go and lie down for a little while," Remus suggested instead.

"But I have to finish this assignment," James complained. "And my head hurts."

"How about I help you?"

James's face lit up at Remus's suggestion. "If you just let me take a look at your chart I'm sure I'll be done in no time."

"I don't know." Remus squirmed in his seat. "It seems like cheating if you just copy mine."

"But the stars at the same for this chart," James pointed out. "It's not a personal chart so they're expected to be the same."

"But if I've made any mistakes then you'll make them too and it'll be clear that one of us has copied the other."

"You _won't _have made any mistakes," James assured him with a wide grin. "You get top marks in Astronomy."

"Which you don't," Peter chimed in. "And you don't think that maybe Professor Sinistra might notice you've suddenly aced an assignment?"

"So I'll put a few deliberate mistakes in it."

"I don't know…" Remus looked at his own nearly complete assignment and James's barely started one.

"Please Remus," James whined. "My head hurts _so_ much."

It was the final reminder of his accident that did it and Remus moved to sit around the other side of the table so that an ecstatic James could look at his chart whilst he finished naming the few remaining stars.

"No fair!" Sirius complained from the other side of the table. "Why does James get to copy your chart and not me? I was injured too!"

"_You_ hurt your shoulder," James reminded him. "I hurt my head."

"But Remus…"

Remus sighed as he looked at the pouting Sirius. "Just this once," he finally relented and Sirius began leaning over the table to check his own work against Remus's.

Remus looked at Peter's hopeful expression. "You might as well," he muttered with another sigh. "We can all have detention together when Sinistra notices."

-----------------------------------------------

Professor McGonagall glared at the four boys who stood shuffling their feet in her office.

Remus couldn't bring himself to drag his gaze up from the rug near the fireplace. He'd known this would happen, he'd even said it would happen, and still his friends seemed somewhat surprised by the fact that they'd been caught.

Copying one of his assignments had been risky enough, copying all of them was just plain asking to be caught.

"I have reports here from all the professors who've set you homework in the last week," McGonagall stated as her formidable gaze swept from one boy to the next. "Would anyone like to tell me what the report says?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that greeted her question.

"Well it seems to indicate that only one person has been doing each assignment and the rest have been copying," McGonagall continued when it was clear that no one was going to answer. "Well?"

Remus risked a glance to his left and saw that James was casually rubbing his forehead, a look of intense pain on his face. "Are you okay James?" he whispered. "Professor?"

He looked at Professor McGonagall whose glare hadn't wavered. "The bump was on the back of your head Potter," she reminded him coldly. "Madam Pomfrey assured me of your good health before she released you. I've been teaching here long enough to recognise someone who's 'milking it' so I suggest you leave off the dramatics."

Remus watched as James made a remarkable recovery and offered a sheepish look at McGonagall.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me which of you _has_ been doing the assignments, and which three have been copying them?" McGonagall asked.

More feet shuffling ensued.

"Fine," McGonagall snapped. "You can _all_ have detention together on Saturday evening and you will all be redoing each of the homework assignments for the last week again, alone."

Remus's groan was echoed by the others as they traipsed out of the office and back to the common room.

"I can't believe we've got to do the assignments again," Sirius complained loudly as they made their way back to the portrait hole.

"I know," James muttered. "I was expecting a detention but this is just too cruel."

"We'll have to miss the Quidditch match on Saturday to get them done," Sirius commented. "That or go without any sleep."

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Remus muttered. "You can blame me for all of this."

"Blame you?" James asked in surprise as they reached the entrance to the common room. "What for?"

"Well it was my mistakes on the assignments that probably got us caught," Remus pointed out, as though it was obvious.

"Is that why you didn't tell McGonagall it was you who had done the work properly?" Sirius asked. "Because you felt guilty?"

"No," Remus shook his head. "I wouldn't have got you guys into trouble. Not when it was as much my fault as the rest of you. I didn't _have_ to let you copy."

"Thanks," James said as he swung an arm round Remus's shoulders. "One for all and all for one, right guys?"

Remus smiled as James steered him into the common room. He was sure that with his friends to keep him company, detention wouldn't be too bad at all.

----------------------------------------------

"Who's winning?" James asked as Sirius turned away from his Charms paper to look out of the window for the eighteenth time in the last hour.

"I can't tell," Sirius replied with a frustrated sigh.

"It's probably Slytherin," Peter muttered without looking up from his own paper. "This year's Hufflepuff team is awful."

"You're probably right…unfortunately," Sirius agreed as he sat back down. "I guess we'll find out later."

Remus carried on with his work and a few seconds later the echoing sound of hundreds of cheers drifted in from the Quidditch pitch. No one was surprised when Sirius jumped up to look out of the window again.

"Slytherin won," Sirius muttered some time later as he saw the silver and green clad students returning to school in jubilant high spirits.

James groaned and joined his best friend at the window. "Looks like someone's injured," he commented.

"A Slytherin?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Hufflepuff, I think."

"It's nearly dinner time," Remus pointed out. "Why don't we go down to the Great Hall and find out what happened? I want to get something to eat before tonight's detention anyway."

The others nodded in agreement and they made their way down to dinner, eager for all the news of the match.

No one was surprised to see the glares that many of the Hufflepuffs were shooting at the Slytherin table. Nor was it that unusual for there to be glares from the Gryffindor table. Remus couldn't help noticing the equally hostile glances from the Ravenclaw table though…and that was unusual. The Ravenclaws rarely took part in the rivalries between the houses. Some students claimed they were above such things, others claimed they didn't have the time to engage in such foolish squabbles. Remus knew immediately that something must have happened to get such a reaction from the normally aloof house.

It wasn't long before the four boys were filled in as to the events of the match, or more precisely the events immediately after the match.

Even though Remus didn't know Ted Tonks that well he felt the same shock as everyone else when he discovered that it was that boy who'd been taken to the infirmary on the stretcher James and Sirius had seen.

"Lestrange sent bludger after bludger at him, all through the match," one of the elder Gryffindor students was saying. "Then when the match was over the git carried on and sent another bludger at him. That was the one that put him in the hospital wing!"

"Ruddy cheaters," James muttered.

"Where's Andromeda?" Peter asked and Remus looked towards the Slytherin table for any sign of Sirius's cousin.

"I bet she's with Ted in the hospital wing," Sirius whispered. "And I bet she's the reason Lestrange put Ted in there as well. I'm going to go check on her."

"You should take her some food," Remus suggested. "I bet she hasn't eaten."

"Good idea," Sirius agreed before disappearing out the door.

-------------------------------------------------------

"He's going to be all right," Sirius confirmed later that evening as they made their way to detention. "He got hit in the head but Madam Pomfrey said he'd come round briefly before he'd even got to the hospital wing so he'll be fine in the morning. He looks a right mess though. Covered in bruises."

"Do you still think it's because of Andromeda?" Remus asked.

"Definitely," Sirius nodded firmly. "And so does she."

"I'm sure things will work out in the end," James said as they reached the library where their detention was to take place.

"You think so?" Sirius asked bitterly. "Andromeda is a Black, and she's dating a muggleborn. They aren't just going to drop it."

"You talk about them like you're not a part of the same family," Remus said softly as they waited for Madam Pince to arrive. Sirius scowled but didn't reply.

Remus would have said something else but Madam Pince suddenly appeared and they were soon updating the records of the books that had been checked out of the library.

"Wow, looks like the Lestrange brothers can actually read," James commented as he wrote out his section of the list. "Who knew?"

The others snorted with suppressed laughter and Remus hoped Madam Pince didn't hear them. As detentions went, he knew they'd got off easy this time. The job was boring, and he'd truly had no idea how many students used the library so it was going to take ages, but with the others working alongside him it was almost enjoyable.

"Remus?" Sirius asked after they'd been working for nearly an hour.

"Hmm?"

"Just how many books have you checked out of the library this year?"

"Why?"

"Because in the last hour I've written out your name more than any other first year, including any of the Ravenclaws."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," Sirius muttered. "What could you possibly have found interesting about _Soils from Around the World_?"

"It was for that Herbology assignment back in February," Remus explained. "I didn't read it all. I just wanted to look something up."

"So why did you check it out?"

"Because you and James had a prank you wanted help with and I didn't have time to look it up in here like I'd intended."

"Guess that means it's your fault," James teased as he nudged Sirius with his arm and grinned.

"_Our_ fault," Sirius corrected before turning back to his list.

"I never knew that," Peter commented from the end of the table.

"What?" James asked. "That me and Sirius are to blame for Remus checking out so many books?"

"No," Peter replied. "That_ Hogwarts: A History_ is kept in the restricted section."

"What?" Remus asked. "It can't be."

"It is according to the records," Peter said as he checked again. "Lucius Malfoy checked it out apparently."

"Okay, that's even stranger," Sirius said. "Somehow I can't see Lucius being a history nerd."

"Maybe the record's wrong?" James asked.

"I'll ask," Peter said as he raised his hand to wave Madam Pince over.

"What is it?" Madam Pince asked impatiently.

Peter looked like he was about to quake under the frown of the librarian so Remus spoke for him. "We just wondered if this record was correct?" he asked as he pointed to the parchment in front of Peter.

Madam Pince leaned over and nodded that it was.

"It's just that that book is one that a lot of students already have anyway," Remus continued. "I've got a copy and so have a lot of other first years. It's popular with muggle-borns as it really tells you a lot about the school and…" his voice trailed off as Madam Pince frowned at the parchment.

"This is an older edition," she finally said. "It's…er…valuable. But the record is quite accurate."

"Er…okay," Peter nodded and turned to continue writing.

Madam Pince returned to her desk and Remus turned back to his own list.

"That was even more weird," Sirius whispered. "I think she was lying about that book being valuable."

"You do?" Remus asked.

"Couldn't you tell?"

Remus shook his head.

"I've told enough lies to recognise the signs," Sirius grinned. "I want a look at that book."

"It'll be back in the restricted section," James pointed out.

"Guess we have a new mission for your cloak then," Sirius replied with a grin before turning back to Remus. "You got your copy of the book here at school?"

"Yeah," Remus hesitantly replied.

"Great!" Sirius clapped his hands.

"Great," Remus echoed with far less enthusiasm. Here he was, serving a detention and Sirius was already plotting something else that would no doubt land them with another one.

------------------------------------------

A/N: I got a PM asking if this was going to turn into a Remus/Sirius slash fic. Just in case anyone else is wondering - no it isn't. Despite my delving into that particular arena with several other fics recently this one is sticking as close to canon as possible and canon (sorry to any puppy shippers) states that Remus married Tonks and Sirius had posters of girls on his bedroom walls. Besides which - they are just twelve years old at the moment. Just thought I would clarify that for anyone else wondering. So for those who are dreading this turning into a slash fic - rest assured it won't. For anyone who might be disappointed that it won't be - well there are four other fics in my profile that are (two finished and two continuing) so feel free to go check those out instead.


	42. The Two Books

**Part Forty Two – The Two Books**

Remus had hoped that after he'd returned to school following the full moon, that perhaps the Fates would be smiling on him and his friends would have forgotten about their latest plotting. Unfortunately he'd only been back in the dormitory for five minutes when James told him that 'tonight is the night'.

And so it was that Remus found himself creeping along the school corridors in the middle of the night, crowded under James's invisibility cloak with the other three boys.

"Why do we _all_ have to go?" Remus asked after Sirius had trod on his foot for the third time.

"More fun this way," James replied with a grin.

"The cloak isn't big enough for four people," Peter complained. Remus agreed with him entirely. If they were unfortunate enough to run into a member of staff, it was an absolute certainty that at least a foot or a stray hand would be spotted.

"We're nearly there," James insisted. "You'd both complain enough if we left you out of our fun."

"Not when your fun involves being trod on by Sirius every few minutes," Remus muttered. He turned to the boy in question and glared at him. "I think you might have broken one of my toes."

Sirius shrugged apologetically, dislodging the cloak from Remus entirely in the process.

"Here we are," James announced as they arrived at the library door. "You first Remus, before someone spots you."

Remus nodded and slipped past James to open the door. "It's locked," he whispered after he'd tried the handle and found it wasn't opening.

"_Alohomora,_" James whispered as he pointed his wand at the door handle. Remus tried to open the door again but still without success.

"With all the thefts going on it stands to reason they'd add extra security spells," Peter commented.

"Who'd want to nick a bunch of mouldy old books?" James asked.

"You mean besides us?" Remus replied with a smirk. "Look, we can't get in, so we may as well go back."

"Wait a minute," Sirius said as he stepped out from under the cloak and approached the door. "Let me just try this."

"What are you doing?" James asked as Sirius started rummaging around in his pockets. "If _alohomora_ won't work then I doubt anything else will."

"This might," Sirius said as he revealed a penknife with a proud flourish.

"A penknife?" Remus asked doubtfully.

"Not just _any_ penknife," Sirius stated with a grin. "This one is supposed to be able to open any lock at all."

"Well now would be as good a time as any to test it," James suggested with a gesture towards the door.

Sirius nodded and crouched down near the lock. Remus watched as he jammed the knife into the lock and started to wriggle it around.

"Hurry up," James muttered.

"Give me a minute," Sirius hissed back. "I've never tried this before, and it's not as easy as it looks."

Remus and the others waited patiently whilst Sirius tested his penknife on the lock to the school library.

"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed loudly as the barrels clicked and the door swung open.

"Yell a bit louder, why don't you?" James muttered as they rushed into the room. "Maybe they didn't hear you at the other end of the school."

"Sorry." Sirius at least had the sense to look sheepish.

"That's a great knife," Peter said as Sirius slipped it back into his robes. "Where'd you get it?"

"Birthday present from my Uncle Alphard."

"Wish my family would give me presents like that," Peter replied as they made their way towards the restricted section of the library.

"At least you get decent stuff from your parents," Sirius pointed out with a trace of bitterness. "My parents keep giving me dark arts rubbish."

James had hurried on ahead of the others towards the restricted section and was relieved to find that he could get inside the section quite easily. A minute or two later he returned to the others with a large and battered book with the words Hogwarts: A History, on the cover.

"This is going to take all night," Sirius muttered as James put the book on the table and Remus placed his own copy alongside it.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Peter asked as they skimmed down the contents pages of the two books.

"I don't know," James replied. "But something to explain why Malfoy wanted this book when it would have been far easier to simply borrow any one of the other students copies. There must be a dozen in Gryffindor house alone. Even accounting for the thickness of the Slytherins there must be at least a few down in the dungeons."

"Rowena Ravenclaw's Rotating Staircases," Sirius read from the book. "At least now we know who to blame for those."

"The Growth of Hogsmeade," James read with a wide yawn. "This book sounds really boring."

"Salazar Slytherin's Secret Chamber," Sirius read. "Now that sounds more like it."

"The Chamber of Secrets?" James asked sceptically. "People have been searching for that for centuries. If the answer was in this book I think someone might have noticed before now."

"James is right," Remus said as he continued to scan the contents of the book. "He probably just wanted to read a bit about the school or something."

"But _what_ did he want to read?" Sirius replied with a shake of his head. "What's in this book that isn't in the current edition?"

"Well they both contain the same chapters," Peter said as he reached the end of the list.

"Better go through them one by one then," Sirius suggested.

"Why don't we take it back to the dorm with us?" Remus suggested. "We're going to get caught if we stay here all night. And it's going to take all night to go through the whole book."

"Remus Lupin!" James explained. "I'm so…so…surprised!"

"Stealing books!" Sirius grinned with a proud look around the room at the others. "Never thought you had it in you."

"I just don't want us to still be here when Pince opens up in the morning," Remus pointed out with a fair degree of exasperation.

"Admit it," James grinned. "You like the idea of doing something you shouldn't."

Remus felt himself flushing as he realised that he _did_ enjoy the mischief that his friends were constantly dragging him into. "Just get the book," Remus said as he grabbed his own copy and turned towards the door.

"Looks like we've corrupted him in under a year," James commented to Sirius. "I feel so proud!"

Sirius gave an exaggerated sniff in response. "They grow up so fast."

Remus sighed impatiently as he waited for the pair to finish clowning around. He could tell it was going to be a long night.

Back in the corridor they soon realised that they had no idea how to lock the door to the library again. As such they guessed that the library would be searched for anything that might be missing, no doubt triggering another search of the school.

"We can just leave the book in a classroom or something," Peter suggested. "When we've done with it. Someone will take it back to the library or find it. No one will ever know it was us."

James nodded thoughtfully. "Probably the best idea. But we'll have to make sure we're done with it before morning. We don't want to get caught with it."

It was _definitely_ going to be a long night.

Back under the invisibility cloak they cautiously made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Remus being trod on by James this time.

"Ow," he groaned quietly as he felt a foot crushing his own again.

"Be quiet," James hissed.

"Sorry but you just trod on my foot again."

"No, I thought I heard something."

Remus held his breath as they stood in the middle of the corridor, hopefully hidden by the invisibility cloak. The last thing they needed was to be running into one of the professors, or worse still Filch.

The sound of a door opening echoed down the corridor.

"I heard that too," Peter muttered.

"Quiet," James hissed.

"_Imperio!_"

Remus couldn't stop his gasp of horror at the sound of someone speaking the incantation of one of the unforgivable curses within the castle of Hogwarts itself.

The sound of a whispering voice drifted towards them, the words too quiet to be clear.

"Let's go back to the dorm," Remus whispered after they'd hovered for several minutes trying, without success, to hear what was happening.

"I want to know who it is," Sirius replied as he started to steer the foursome in the direction the speaker appeared to be.

"Let's go back," Peter hissed.

"I just want to see who it is," Sirius whispered as they continued to shuffle their way down the corridor.

"Someone who probably won't be pleased at being seen by a bunch of nosy first years," Remus pointed out as he tried to pull Sirius back in the direction towards the portrait hole. "James, help me would you?"

"Sirius kind of has a point," James replied and Remus knew he'd have no help from that quarter. Clearly the only way to get Sirius to stop and turn round was to forcibly restrain him, and that would no doubt draw even more attention to themselves.

Suddenly footsteps that weren't their own sounded in the darkness and Remus pulled Sirius and the others through the nearest door and into an empty classroom. The surprise of his movement was the only thing that had enabled him to manage this feat and a moment later Sirius was back at the door, peering out into the dark corridor.

"What do you see?" James whispered as he tried to see around Sirius.

Sirius suddenly pulled back into the room and closed the door soundlessly.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Who was it?" Remus was now as curious as the rest of them.

"Snape," Sirius whispered. "It was Snape!"

* * *

Back in the dormitory the shock seemed to have worn off of Sirius and he was vocal in reminding everyone, most especially Remus, that he'd been right all along about the Slytherin student.

"But Snape's a first year," Remus argued, still not entirely convinced that Sirius hadn't perhaps been mistaken. "How would he be able to do an unforgivable and why?"

"I don't know why but it was him," Sirius repeated.

"Maybe we should tell a teacher," James suggested.

"And say what?" Peter asked. "We heard Snape doing an unforgivable curse whilst we were wandering around the corridors in the middle of the night after stealing a book from the restricted section of the library?"

"Er."

"Peter's right," Sirius agreed. "We'd end up in detention again. Besides, I want to know what he was up to."

"How about we focus on one problem at a time?" suggested Remus, and he placed his copy of Hogwart's: A History on the bed.

"Yeah." James nodded. "We check the books first and get the school's copy safely out of the tower. Then we try and find out what Snape is up to."

"I vote for planting the school's book somewhere in the dungeons," Peter commented and Remus wasn't surprised to see James and Sirius nodding enthusiastically at the suggestion.

For the next hour the four boys crowded onto Remus's bed and went through the two books page by page, searching for anything that was different between the two editions. Their search was punctuated by various sighs of boredom from James, Sirius and Peter.

"This book is boring," Sirius complained for the umpteenth time. "Why would anyone want to read it?"

"You're just bored because it isn't filled with spells and hexes to annoy the other students," Remus pointed out. "It's actually quite an interesting book, even without any spells in it."

"It does have some spells in it," James commented idly as he flipped the page over.

"No it doesn't," Remus replied with a yawn. "It tells you about some of them, like the anti-apparation spells on the place but it doesn't actually tell you what they are or anything."

"Your copy doesn't," James replied. "But the older edition does."

"What?" Remus asked, feeling more awake than he had done for some time.

"This edition tells you the spells themselves. Not how to break them or anything but which spells are on the place. There's a whole section on the spells guarding the Trophy Room."

"The Trophy Room?" Sirius gasped as he looked at the page. "Hey, you don't think Malfoy's the one stealing the cups do you?"

"Well he _is_ a Slytherin," Peter pointed out.

James, Sirius and Peter began nodding to each other enthusiastically whilst Remus continued to compare the two books, reading through the list of spells guarding the cabinets.

"We should go to Dumbledore," James stated firmly. "Tell him what we've discovered. He'll overlook us having the book if we've unmasked the thief."

"Great idea!" Peter agreed.

"Wonderful!" Sirius whooped in delight.

"Er guys?" Remus asked cautiously. "I hate to break up your little plan with a dose of reality or anything…"

"But?" James asked. "I can hear a but there."

"But…" Remus smiled apologetically. "But why would Malfoy, one of the richest students in the school, with more money than he can probably spend in a lifetime, steal a few cups from the school?"

"Er…"

"Um…"

"Well…er…"

"Maybe we should try and get a bit more proof before we go to Dumbledore with our accusations?" Remus suggested.

"We'll spy on Malfoy," James grinned. "Perfect."

"And on _Snivellus_ as well," Sirius stated with a look of pure glee. "I still want to know what he was doing casting unforgivables on whoever was with him."

"Why do you assume he was the one casting the spell?" Remus asked. "How do you know he isn't the one under the Imperius Curse?"

James and Sirius looked at him as though he'd suddenly sprouted horns and Remus sighed. There was just no reasoning with them at all.

"At least now we know why the book was in the restricted section," Remus commented, in an effort to change the subject. "They probably took the spells out of later editions for security reasons and this one got relocated to the restricted section so only the trustworthy students could read it."

"Trustworthy like prefects, when even Slytherin house has them?" Sirius snorted with contempt.

"I bet the teachers have forgotten this was even in the library," James said as he closed the book and made to return to his own bed for a few hours of sleep.

"Probably," Remus agreed. "I can't imagine they would knowingly leave it there with someone getting past the spells all year."

"Good job they have me to sort things out for them then, isn't it?" Sirius stated with ill-concealed arrogance.

"Conceited git!" Remus teased.

"Us then," Sirius amended with a grin. "Good job they have _us_ to sort things out for them."

* * *

A/N: As you can probably tell this story is now winding down to it's long...loooooong...awaited conclusion. Not long to go now.


	43. A Gryffindor Victory

Part Forty Three – A Gryffindor Victory

During the next few weeks Remus came to realise some very important things about various students in the school.

He knew for certain that Sirius and James were not cut out to be any sort of private investigator for example.

"What's the point of me trying to observe him unnoticed, if you two are going to come along and hex him five minutes later?" Remus asked, with a sigh of frustration as Severus left the empty classroom and made his way to the hospital wing to get himself put to rights once more.

"Couldn't resist it," James replied with a grin.

"But how are you going to catch him doing anything suspicious if you don't leave him be?" Remus asked again.

"He'd probably spotted you watching him anyway," Sirius commented.

"If he did, then he probably thinks I'm in on the whole hexing him thing," Remus muttered.

"Never mind," James said as they left the room to head to the Great Hall for lunch. "We'll catch him doing something he shouldn't be sooner or later."

Remus rolled his eyes and wondered if James had been listening to him at all during the last few minutes.

Another conclusion Remus had come to during their attempts at spying on Severus was that the other boy had something on his mind that was bothering him.

At first Remus had thought he was just worried about the end of year exams, but they were now in the middle of them and Severus actually seemed to be studying less than he usually did. It didn't make sense and Remus couldn't shake the belief that Severus had something on his mind.

When he'd literally bumped into Severus one morning the other boy had been so distracted he'd actually apologised before he'd realised who it was he'd collided with. Remus had looked into the classroom that Severus had so abruptly exited and saw the solitary figure of Lucius Malfoy sitting at one of the desks. From that moment on, Remus had been convinced that whatever it was that was bothering Severus, Lucius was behind it.

He'd voiced his suspicions to James and the others, but whilst they were prepared to concede that Lucius might be in on the thefts with Severus, they would not give consideration to the idea that Severus might actually have nothing to do with them at all.

When he tried to push the point they'd simply refused to listen. Eventually he'd given up, telling himself that he really didn't have time to argue with them about this, especially since the final full moon of the school year was less than one week away and he had to concentrate on the exams he was taking earlier than his friends.

"Why are you revising Potions?" Peter asked curiously.

Remus felt his face flushing, he'd hoped his friends wouldn't notice the book he was reading was not the Charms textbook that his friends were reading from.

"Guess Remus thinks he's going to ace Charms," James commented. "How about you help us poor lesser mortals out with our revision for that since you obviously know so much about the subject?" James grinned at Remus, who groaned quietly; it looked like he'd be studying Potions under the bedcovers after the others were asleep. He wished he could tell his friends that unlike them, his own first exam was Potions the following morning.

That night he forced himself to remain awake. It wasn't too difficult since the exam the next morning was playing on his mind considerably. As soon as he could hear three sets of snores coming from the other boys he grabbed his Potions book from the bedside table and began revising under the covers.

He was so engrossed in memorising the ingredients for the various potions that he didn't realise that one of the other boys had woken up.

"Remus? What are you doing?" James asked as he pulled back the covers.

Remus let out a squeak of surprise and fell from the bed.

"You're not studying again are you?" James asked as he picked up the discarded book and passed it back to Remus who was scrambling back onto his bed.

"I couldn't sleep," Remus muttered as he searched for his page.

"If you want help in Potions you know the rest of us will help you out. Even Peter's pretty good when he's concentrating. You don't have to struggle on your own."

"It's not that…"

"Then why are you worrying about this one already? We've got Charms and Transfiguration before that one. Not to mention History of Magic later on the same day, though I just plan on making stuff up for that one."

"You do realise that Binns won't be marking the papers?" Remus asked.

"He isn't?"

"No. McGonagall told us that a few years ago he totally forgot about it and disappeared to wherever ghosts disappear to and so now he doesn't mark the papers, he only sets them."

"When did she tell us that?"

"Probably during one of the lessons when you are Sirius were too busy passing notes and whispering to listen." Remus grinned.

"I guess that means I better spend tomorrow reading up about the Goblin Rebellions," James complained.

"I was planning on reading up History of Magic tomorrow afternoon," Remus commented. He mentally added to himself that this would be after he'd taken his own Potions exam in the morning and that he only had that single afternoon to study for the History of Magic exam on the Sunday morning.

"Great!" James enthusiastically replied. "And we'll help you out with Potions in the morning."

_I only wish you could_ Remus silently thought to himself as James returned to his own bed and the restful slumber of a boy who didn't have to worry about sitting any exams until after the weekend was over.

-----------------------------

"Remus Lupin?" The sixth year Gryffindor prefect approached him shortly before nine o'clock on Saturday morning. Remus nodded in response and tried to look like he didn't know what the other boy was going to say.

"Professor McGonagall wants to see you in her office," the prefect said. "You'd better hurry up, she's in a right foul mood this morning. I hope you're not in trouble kid."

Remus nodded again and after clearing away his textbooks he hurried to McGonagall's office, trying the whole time to ignore the questions his friends were asking about why he was being summoned again and whether he'd pulled any pranks without them, thus earning him McGonagall's wrath.

When Remus arrived at Professor McGonagall's office it was to find that she was in fact in a quite pleasant mood. He wondered if she'd mellowed slightly since she'd seen the prefect or whether that had merely been a front to enable him to be summoned without raising undue suspicion.

"All ready for your Potions exam?" Professor Slughorn asked from where he stood alongside McGonagall's desk.

"Really Horace, give him a chance to catch his breath," McGonagall chided. "Here Remus, have a biscuit." She pushed the tin of shortbread towards him but Remus shook his head no.

"You haven't eaten breakfast this morning," McGonagall pointed out, and Remus wasn't surprised to note that she'd spotted his absence from the Great Hall. "Here," she pushed the tin a little closer to him.

Remus obediently reached into the tin, earning himself an approving nod from McGonagall. Once he'd eaten the third slice of shortbread there was no putting it off any longer and Remus followed Professor Slughorn down to the dungeon classroom where he'd be taken his exam.

"I'll just be next door," Slughorn advised with a smile as Remus read through the instructions on the blackboard.

Remus turned to him in surprise. He'd been especially nervous at the thought of being the sole focus of the professor's attention for the two hours that the exam was going to take. That the professor was going to leave him alone in the room was a complete surprise.

Something of his shock must have shown on his face and Slughorn smiled kindly at him. "Don't worry lad, I trust you not to cheat."

Remus blinked a time or two but couldn't form the words to reply. He eventually nodded mutely and watched as Slughorn ducked out of the door and into his office next door.

---------------------------------

"Where've you been?"

"What did McGonagall want?"

"Are you in trouble?"

"We thought you'd gone home again!"

"What did she say?"

The barrage of questions hit Remus as soon as he walked back into the common room later that morning.

"Give him chance to breathe, why don't you?" Lily asked as she pushed her way past his friends and asked Remus if he could help her study for History of Magic.

Remus nodded his agreement, relieved that Lily had had the presence of mind to not only anticipate his friends' reactions, but also to provide him with an excuse to avoid their questions _and_ study for his next exam without raising even more suspicion.

-------------------------------

The History of Magic passed by in a similar manner, although Remus wasn't sure whether he was left alone by Professor Binns because he was trusted or because the ghost had simply forgotten that he was there at all.

His friends were deeply suspicious of his absences during the weekend; McGonagall's reasons that Remus was doing a couple of detentions just didn't sound right to them. Yes, Remus had done detentions before, but always in the company of one or more of the rest of the group.

Their suspicions only increased when he was taken out of school in the middle of the exams.

"When are you going to sit your Transfiguration, Potions and History of Magic exams?" Peter asked curiously after Remus had returned to the school.

"I've got to do Transfiguration at the weekend. The others I'll be doing in the summer," Remus replied, using the lie that McGonagall had advised him to and hoping that they bought it.

"I can't believe you get so much extra time to study for them," James complained. "You're so lucky!"

Sirius nodded his agreement. "McGonagall's pet," he teased.

"I am _not_," Remus replied with a scowl at the, quite truthful, insinuation that he was getting special treatment from the head of Gryffindor house.

"I'm surprised they aren't making you take them all at the weekends," James commented with a frown.

Remus shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject to the one topic that he knew would distract them from his absences from the school. "So any news on Malfoy and Snape?"

"Glad you asked," Sirius grinned. "We overheard Snape talking to Lily after the Potions exam…"

Remus listened curiously as Sirius and the others explained about how they'd heard Lily pestering Severus to tell her what was bothering him and how the other boy had accidentally let slip that he knew who was involved in the thefts.

"I told you he wasn't the thief," Remus crowed.

"He was probably just trying to cover up his own part in it," James replied. He was unable to give Severus the benefit of the doubt at all.

"Anyway…" Peter interrupted. "Lily is supposed to be meeting _Snivellus _on Saturday night to try and persuade him to go with her to Professor Dumbledore. We're going to follow her and get the evidence ourselves."

"Evidence of what?" Remus asked. "Even if he is the thief, he's hardly going to start nicking stuff with Lily tagging along with him."

"Course he will," James replied. "He'll want to brag to her about how he did it."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "He got past some pretty powerful spells to get those cups. Not to mention hiding them during the searches or getting them out of the school."

"I still don't think he…" Remus's voice trailed off as his friends made it clear that they were never going to share his opinion.

"He's in it with Malfoy," James continued. "We'll catch them both in the act. They probably want to get Lily to take the fall for them."

"Severus and Lily are friends," Remus pointed out. "He wouldn't do that to her."

"Malfoy would, and he and _Snivellus_ have been really good friends the last week. You rarely see one without the other hanging around."

"They didn't look like they were friends to me," Remus muttered. "It looked to me like they'd been arguing."

"Probably that was _Snivellus_ having an attack of conscience over Lily," Sirius conceded.

"Or maybe you've got it all wrong?" Remus suggested.

"Well we'll find out Saturday night," James stated with a grin. Remus nodded in agreement.

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And so Remus found himself sneaking out of the dormitory yet again. They were still not entirely adept at moving around under the invisibility cloak and so decided that this time they'd take it with them but only use it if absolutely necessary. After all, being invisible was only any good if they could be equally quiet about it.

"Going somewhere Evans?" James asked as Lily tiptoed through the darkened common room, oblivious to the four pairs of eyes that had been waiting for her to emerge.

Remus groaned to himself. What part of subterfuge didn't James understand? Okay, this was James he was thinking of, and he'd probably never heard of the word, but really!

"Just going to the kitchens," Lily replied in an overly casual tone of voice. "It's not like you guys don't sneak out all the time for midnight snacks."

"Bring us back a cake or two," Sirius asked with a grin.

"Go get them yourself!" Lily snapped before ducking out of the portrait hole.

Remus turned to his friends after the door had closed. "You just don't have a clue, do you?" he asked in exasperation.

"What?" three voices replied in perfect synchronisation, each one as confused as the next.

"Come on," Remus muttered as he rolled his eyes. "We don't want to lose her."

The four boys climbed out of the common room and soon spotted the familiar sight of red hair further down the corridor. Lily would, to anyone who didn't know where she was heading, certainly appear to be heading in the direction of the kitchens. Her cover story would hold right up until she reached the Entrance Hall where Remus suspected she would divert from her course to take the stairs to the Slytherin quarters. Remus frowned to himself at another example of Severus letting Lily take the risks in their rule breaking.

Suddenly James grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him backwards into an empty classroom. Remus could see that Sirius had done likewise with Peter and he wondered what they had seen that the other two had missed. Then he heard the sound of heavy footfalls. Heavier than any first year student, and possibly heavier than even a seventh year. Remus joined the others as he poked his head out of the door and saw, further down the corridor, with his back to them, Professor Knott-Bolt.

"Maybe he's just patrolling the corridors?" Peter suggested.

"Perhaps," Remus replied, as he crept out into the corridor to get a better look at where the teacher was going. He'd only gone a few feet when he realised that no one was following him. He turned back to the classroom where his friends were hovering in the doorway. "Well are you just going to stand there?" he asked.

Sirius recovered himself first and crept back out into the corridor, James and Peter close behind him.

"So which way did Lily go?" James asked.

"No idea," Remus admitted. "But if she's meeting Severus she'll be heading down to the dungeons."

"The same way Knott-Bolt's going?" Sirius asked and Remus nodded that that seemed to be the case.

The professor turned out of the corridor and made his way down the staircase. Remus looked cautiously round the corner as he made a careful note of the direction the man was going. "This way," he whispered to the others and hurried down the staircase.

Unfortunately at this point the staircase decided it was about time to move and the four boys found themselves being sent in an entirely new direction.

"Come on," James hissed. "We can detour round this way."

Remus and the others followed after him as he took the lead and they found themselves face to face with Lily and Snape.

"The kitchens are in the other direction," James pointed out with a smirk.

"Come on Sev," Lily whispered, pointedly ignoring James and steering Severus back in the direction they'd just come from.

"So who do we follow?" Peter asked. Unfortunately Lily heard him and shot a glare back in their direction.

"This way," Sirius suggested as they stepped onto another staircase, continuing in the same direction that would lead them to the wandering professor.

A moment later they heard a clatter and the sound of a familiar poltergeist causing mischief somewhere below them.

Remus looked out over railings of the staircase and Peeves lurking near one of the floors below.

"Looks like Knott-Bolt's caught him," James whispered as they watched the teacher appear from one of the downstairs corridors and purposefully approach the poltergeist.

"But why isn't he yelling at him?" Sirius whispered.

"Let's go down a level and see if we can hear what they're saying," Remus suggested, pointing to the nearest downward staircase. The other boys nodded and they made their way collectively to the lower floor.

The lower they descended, the easier it was to hear the voices.

"…is that the last of them Peeves?"

"Yes Professor," Peeves replied in an uncharacteristically subservient manner.

"Now to deliver them, yes. Deliver them." The professor turned away from Peeves, and seemed to be looking right in their direction, but his gaze merely slid over them as though they weren't even there.

Remus looked at the professor in mute astonishment. In his hands was a large trophy, clearly one of the school cups.

"I don't think he's taking it for cleaning," Sirius muttered.

"We've got to stop him," James whispered. Remus nodded, but had no idea how they'd manage this, especially since they were still one floor above the teacher and there was no staircase conveniently situated to take them down to the lower floor.

"This way," Peter said and he took off at a run. Remus's jaw dropped as he watched the other boy run straight through what appeared to be a solid wall.

"Didn't know that was there," James replied. "Did you?"

"No," Sirius and Remus replied as they charged after Peter.

"How did you know about this passage?" Sirius asked after they'd caught up with Peter. "Where does it go to?"

"I feel into it a few months ago," Peter sheepishly replied. "It goes to a few places, I've been trying figure out all of the directions for James's map."

"I'm going to be working on that again over the summer," James announced. "I've had this idea how we can hide it from prying eyes. We could…"

"We could be quiet," Remus cut him off before he drew unwanted attention to themselves with his loud boasts.

"This way," Peter said as he stepped through another wall and out into the main school again.

"We're not going to catch him," Remus said as they watched Professor Knott-Bolt disappear from view around another corner.

"Come on!" James hissed, ignoring Remus as he barrelled down the corridor.

They turned the foot of the stairs and saw that luck was on their side. The Professor appeared to have been caught up in his robes and was laying sprawled on the floor of the Entrance Hall, the stolen cup clattering down the steps towards the kitchens.

Remus saw a flash of black and green robes, and a hint of red hair from the top of the staircase leading to the Slytherin quarters but when he drew nearer there was no sign that anyone had been there.

"Is he dead?" Sirius asked curiously as they approached the Professor.

"No need to be so pessimistic Mr Black," the familiar voice of Professor Dumbledore said as he walked in through the main doors of the castle. "I believe he just hit his head when he fell from the tripping jinx. That wouldn't have been any of you would it?"

Remus looked at his friends who looked horrified at the thought of being found guilty of assaulting a teacher.

"Ah, Professor, let me help you up," Dumbledore said as a groan emanated from the teacher.

"What happened?" Professor Knott-Bolt asked in confusion.

"Most recently, a tripping jinx and a bump to the head," Dumbledore replied with a smile. He waved his hand towards the staircase that would eventually lead to his office. He turned back to the boys momentarily. "Do bring that cup up to my office would you please?"

Remus turned to pick the cup up and he and his friends followed after the headmaster, wondering just how much trouble they were in this time.

--------------------------------

Dumbledore's office was by now familiar to the boys who'd pretty much made their visits there a monthly activity, much to the frustration of Professor McGonagall.

"Do take a seat boys," Dumbledore asked with a polite smile. "I imagine you'd like to know what's been going on this year."

"Yes sir," Remus replied, his sentiments echoed by the other boys. Remus was not too surprised to see that their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was also nodding his head in response to the question.

"The imperius curse is a powerful and dangerous one and there are two beings in this school who have been under the same for a large portion of the school year," Dumbledore explained.

"Beings?" asked Remus, curious about why that particular word had been used.

"Well one, as I am sure you must realise is Professor Knott-Bolt here," Dumbledore said with a smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder of the stunned looking teacher. "The other isn't really a person though, never was in fact."

"Peeves?" James asked.

"Quite," Dumbledore replied. "It would seem that someone has been using our mischievous poltergeist and one of our teachers to steal items from the school."

"It's Snape!" Sirius blurted out. Remus glared at him, though he breathed a sigh of relief that at least he hadn't called him _Snivellus_ in front of the headmaster.

"Severus Snape?" Dumbledore asked with a laugh. "Oh no, definitely not. I am fairly sure as to who it is who's behind this and it isn't Severus."

"But we heard him use the imperius curse," Sirius insisted.

"I'm sure you heard someone use it," Dumbledore agreed. "But I'm sure it wasn't Severus."

"Then who was it?" James asked.

"I'm afraid I can't say," Dumbledore admitted. "I have no proof of who the culprit is and without that it would be rather foolish of me to admit my suspicions."

"Malfoy," James muttered loudly.

Remus thought he saw Dumbledore look at James with something akin to pride but the headmaster didn't say anything further on the subject of who had been casting the curse in the school.

"It really makes no difference as to who it is who cast that particular curse. The brains behind the whole scheme is far away from here and likely to remain so," Dumbledore explained. Then he turned to Remus asked him to look at the cup.

Remus looked at the cup in his hands dutifully, wondering what he was looking for.

"What names are inscribed on the cup?" Dumbledore asked casually.

Remus dutifully read the worn and tiny inscriptions on the base of the cup as Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.

"What was that one again?" the headmaster suddenly asked.

"Tom Riddle," Remus repeated.

"I thought so," Dumbledore replied sadly. "That young man's name has been on every single cup that has vanished from the school this year. He left his mark on Hogwarts whilst he was here, winning various awards and accolades. Now they are almost all gone. I believe only one, besides the cup in your hand there, now remains."

"So someone is trying to remove all trace of Tom Riddle from the school?" James asked. "But who would do such a thing?"

"I believe Tom Riddle himself," Dumbledore replied.

"But why?" Remus asked, wondering why someone who had obviously achieved so much would want it forgotten.

"I believe only Tom himself could answer that particular question," Dumbledore replied sadly.

Professor Knott-Bolt, who'd been listening to the conversation quietly suddenly stood up and began pacing the room.

"You don't have to do this you know?" Dumbledore said quietly.

"How do you do that?" the professor replied. "How do you know what people are going to say before they do?"

"A lifetime of observing people," Dumbledore replied.

"What use am I though? A Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who lets himself get put under the imperius curse? I'll leave right away."

Dumbledore gave a sigh of resignation. "Would you at least stay until the end of the year?"

Professor Knott-Bolt seemed to consider this for a few moments before he nodded shortly and left the room.

"And another one goes," Dumbledore said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, belatedly adding "sir" to his question.

"Only that we seem to be getting through our Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers at rather a frequent pace recently," Dumbledore replied with a bright smile that Remus recognised as forced. He'd given so many of them himself he could see the signs in the older man. "They don't seem to stay longer than a year, so I can't say I'm surprised at this turn of events."

The boys stood for a few minutes in silence until finally Remus stepped forward to put the cup on Dumbledore's desk.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said quietly. "Now you boys should really be getting to bed now."

Remus nodded and, along with the others, turned towards the door. It seemed that they were escaping punishment entirely and they could only thank their lucky stars that that was the case.

-------------------------------------

The news that Professor Knott-Bolt was leaving at the end of the year for mysterious reasons spread through the school like wildfire. By the time of the end of term feast everyone was speculating on the reason behind his sudden resignation. The most popular theory however was 'the curse of the DADA post' and even though he and his friends knew the truth, Remus couldn't help but wonder if there was something in the rumour about the curse.

He and his friends had made a pact not to tell the rest of the school about the real reasons behind the professor's upcoming departure. They liked the teacher and his lessons and the others had agreed with Remus's suggestion that they show their respect for the teacher by not embarrassing him in front of the rest of the school by revealing how he'd been put under the curse.

The missing cups were not recovered, although no more disappeared. Remus had a feeling that the disappearance and reappearance of _Hogwarts: A History_ had prompted the teachers to recast the protection spells and to add a few new ones for extra security. It seemed that the last theft had probably taken place just before the new spells had been added. Remus speculated that Malfoy had been making sure that a safe distance was maintained between any time when he was wandering the school and any cup going missing.

The other boys had finally agreed that in this particular instance maybe they'd been wrong about Snape and that just maybe he hadn't been involved in the thefts. They were happy to blame Malfoy for the whole business.

And so the end of term feast arrived and the four Gryffindors were smugly satisfied that, of all the students in the school, they alone knew so much about what had happened.

They found that the icing on the cake however was Dumbledore's announcement that he had some extra points to award to various members of the school.

Remus felt himself flushing when his he heard his name, and that of his friends, called out and fifty points awarded to Gryffindor for their loyalty and endeavours on behalf of the school. Dumbledore didn't go into details but it didn't matter. The points they had won were enough to win them the house cup and the praise of the rest of their house.

Remus found himself on the receiving end of a whole host of questions from the other students. Only Lily remained quiet and Remus recalled the flash of red hair and knew that she, the smartest girl in their year, probably knew just as much as he did about what had happened…maybe even more.

But he had no time to talk to her as he and his friends revelled in being the centre of the best kind of attention and tucked into the feast.

Remus Lupin had finally finished his first year at Hogwarts, he had friends, he'd managed to keep his secret, and his favourite pudding was sitting before him. In that moment life was just perfect.

The End

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A/N: I hope you have enjoyed the story and if you have please do consider reading the parallel story of how Snape saw the year progressing. It might answer some of your questions though I hope there weren't too many left lurking at the end here.

I am not going to be writing a sequel as I have no idea what to do for a second year plot. I know...the plot in this one was pretty weak and patchy...any sequel would be even more so. I think that the plot is probably the weakest point of the Origins stories. I think I got the characters in character and I don't think that any of my original characters are of the Mary Sue/Gary Stu variety. But plotwise, this is not one of my best. I admit it and would like to say that some of my other fics have better plots than these do.

Now there are a few people who might be annoyed at my not having the rest of the marauders discover Remus's secret. Sorry, but canon says it was second year so they couldn't in this fic. However I did write a "they find out" piece a while ago...about six months after I started writing this fic...and am going to post it as a bonus chapter immediately after this one. It will be from Remus and Sirius's point of views simply because it seems to me that following the course of events in this fic Sirius would be the first one to figure it out.

A big thank you to everyone who had read this story, favourited/alerted this story, and especially to everyone who has taken the time to review it.


	44. Bonus Chapter

A/N: This is just a little extra piece that is for those who have expressed impatience at when the rest of the marauders would discover Remus's secret.

By way of an explanation this is how this story came about. Now when I wrote the Origins stories I did a lot of planning and stuff. I know it is kind of hard to believe but I did. I worked out timetables for both the Slytherins and Gryffindors so that they were consistent about what classes they were attending on what day. And most importantly I mapped out the full moons so that Remus wasn't accidentally wandering around the school on one of them.

By a sheer fluke I realised that the way it was working out there would have been a full moon on 1 September on the second year at school…and that is when the idea for this fic appeared in my mind.

I wrote it a while ago but never posted it as I was intending at the time to continue the Origins stories and use a large portion of this as the opening chapter. However since I'm not doing a second year for them now I decided to divert from my Remus only POV and this is the result.

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Bonus Chapter

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"Less than two weeks now, until we're back at school," James commented to his friends as they sat idly on the grass outside the Lupin farmhouse on the sunny August afternoon.

"Our second year," Peter replied with a grin. "We won't be the youngest in the school any more."

"Which house do you think your brother will be placed in?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Slytherin," he replied without hesitation. "Our parents will be proud that unlike me, Regulus is keeping up the family tradition."

Remus detected the familiar note of bitterness in his friend's voice but before he could say anything to steer the conversation to safer ground a shout from the other side of the building brought them all to their feet, eager to see what the commotion was.

Remus ran round the side of the house to see that two kneazles had once again decided to try their luck at the chicken coop. Remus's father was attempting to catch the larger of the two cat-like creatures whilst the smaller, nimbler of the animals was running at speed around the yard.

Sirius, James and Peter drew to a halt beside Remus and the four boys laughed at the sight of old Mr Lupin dashing first one way and then another, in his efforts to apprehend the kneazles.

"A little help, boys," Mr Lupin called with exasperation as the kneazle doubled back on its tracks and shot between his legs, causing him to lose his balance entirely.

Remus stopped laughing long enough to point out the second of the animals, which was making its way towards the kitchen, having decided that it might have better luck with Mrs Lupin's cooking than it had had with the chickens.

"I'll go round the back and come at it from the other side," James suggested, disappearing round the other side of the farmhouse before anyone could reply.

Peter headed over towards the chicken coop in order to help Mr Lupin as Sirius and Remus moved towards the kitchen door with as much stealth as two young boys could manage.

"Oh no you don't!" Mrs Lupin muttered as the kneazle put a paw onto the doorstep and used Remus's new broom to encourage the animal to take itself off in another direction.

"Mum!" he complained as he grabbed the broom off her.

"Well you should have put it away like you were told to last night," Mrs Lupin scolded good-naturedly as she shut the lower portion of the door.

"Kneazles can jump through that upper half you know," Sirius pointed out with a grin.

"Don't be cheeky, or I'll hold your favourite pudding back," Mrs Lupin replied.

Sirius laughed again, ignoring the false threat, knowing that when dinner was served there would be pudding aplenty for him, and if not, his natural charm would ensure there soon would be.

"Where's it gone?" Remus asked after he returned from putting his broom away.

"Over there," whispered James, pointing towards the lavender patch that stretched from under the kitchen window right along the length of the building. Sure enough the kneazle was sniffing and scratching at the lavender and Remus, James and Sirius made their move to close in on it.

Creeping slowly forward the three boys inched their way towards the kneazle. Sirius was the nearest and reached out to grab the animal. Unfortunately his timing coincided with that of the second kneazle escaping the clutches of Mr Lupin and Peter and the shouts from chicken coop distracted him so that he fell forward into the flowerbed as both creatures made good their escape out of the yard and into the adjoining meadow.

With the excitement over, Remus and James dropped down to the ground, much to the consternation of Mrs Lupin who tapped sharply on the window to remind them to be careful of her plants. They edged away from the flowers and waited for Sirius to do likewise. It was a moment before Remus realised that Sirius's attention had been caught by something and he wasn't moving out of the lavender at all.

"What is it?" James asked as Sirius pushed aside the plants to reveal the narrow, dirty window of the basement.

Remus drew in a sharp breath. The basement was the only room in the house his friends had never seen, and for very good reason. The basement contained the cage that contained him each month when the moon was full, when he turned into a creature of nightmares, a werewolf.

His friends hadn't seen the basement because they had no idea what he was; what he became. It was a secret that he'd struggled to keep during his first year at Hogwart's and he knew that Sirius was the one who had come closest to figuring it out. He'd wondered, the previous Christmas whether Sirius knew his darkest secret; he'd even come close to telling him. But he had never known for sure and so had maintained his silence.

"It looks like a cage," Sirius said as he used the cuff of his shirt to clean the glass.

"A cage?" James repeated, leaning forward himself to see inside.

"It's nothing, just my dad's old junk," Remus said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Pretty big cage," commented Sirius. "What's he use it for?"

"To put nosy little boys in," Mr Lupin joked as he and Peter strolled across the yard. "Come on, I think tea's ready."

"What's it really for?" Sirius asked as he too stood up and wiped the dirt from his clothes.

"Just to keep animals in. We used to get some dangerous ones coming from the woods. I'd contain them in the basement until the Ministry sent someone to collect them."

Remus breathed a sigh of relief at his father's quick thinking before realising that it was, in all likelihood, a lie he'd told many times before. The lies seemed to come easier to his father than they did to himself, he hoped that one day he'd be able to emulate the older man. He didn't dare allow himself to hope that one day his friends would find out about him and accept him when they knew the truth.

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Remus ran up the stairs, his father close at his heels and his friends not far behind at the sound of the scream.

"Mum, what is it?" he gasped as he turned into the room and came face to face with something he'd never seen before, but instinctively knew what it was. Himself, in his werewolf form. His confusion only lasted a moment before he realised that the creature was a boggart, the second he knew of to have found its way into the house, and the first that he himself had seen.

"What is it?" James called out from behind Mr Lupin who had efficiently pulled out his wand and was torn between moving forward and exposing the form of the boggart to the boys and staying where he was and letting the creature continue to terrorise his muggle wife.

"Go back downstairs boys," Mr Lupin ordered. "You too Remus."

Remus stepped back and edged his way around his father to guide his friends back down the stairs.

"Just a boggart," he said to Sirius who was at top step and craning to see over Mr Lupin's shoulder. "Come on, dad 'll get rid of it."

James and Peter turned round to go back down the stairs and Remus tugged at Sirius's sleeve to steer him along with them. Sirius eventually allowed himself to be pulled away from the door and halfway down the stairs Remus heard his father's strong voice calling out the spell to vanquish the creature.

"What form was it in?" asked James, flinging himself onto the sofa in anticipation of extending the excitement just a little longer.

"I couldn't tell," Remus lied, sitting down himself across the room.

"You were right in there," Sirius pointed out. "How can you not tell what it was?"

"It was at the other side of my mum," Remus pointed out, knowing the lie was weak and wishing his parents would come back downstairs and relieve him of the need to tell any more.

"What did you see?" Peter asked Sirius. "You were nearest to the doorway."

"I'm not sure what it was," replied Sirius with a frown. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat, with the uneasy feeling that Sirius had seen more than he was letting on, and that he was one step closer to uncovering his secret.

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Platform 9¾ was crowded when Sirius arrived with his younger brother Regulus in tow. He quickly found James and Peter and they hovered near the barrier to wait for Remus.

"He's cutting it fine," James said as they looked anxiously at the last minute stragglers hurrying to the train.

"He'll make it," Sirius said. "He was always more punctual than the rest of us. He won't miss the start of term."

Unfortunately the minutes ticked on and there was still no sign of Remus when the boys finally boarded the train.

The train was absolutely packed and they struggled to find somewhere to sit.

"Here this one has plenty of room," Regulus said as he looked back at the rest of the group.

"We're not sitting with _him_," said Sirius as he looked through the window and saw Severus Snape alone in the compartment.

"I think we might have to," James said in a dismal tone. "Everywhere else is full. We should have grabbed a compartment and gone back to look for Remus."

"Have you found him yet Peter?" Sirius called out in the other direction.

"No, he's not at this end," Peter replied as he too came to a halt outside the compartment.

"He must have missed the train," James said as he pushed his way into the compartment.

Regulus took the seat opposite Severus and Peter took the seat beside him. Sirius and James sat near to the door so that they could keep an eye open for Remus walking past.

"Maybe we should go check again?" James suggested, looking out of the window and down the corridor.

"Best to wait here," replied Sirius. "If he's on the train he'll be looking for us now. If he hasn't found us in a bit we can go look then."

"Maybe he's been expelled?" Severus suggested in an overly gleeful tone.

"Shut up_ Snivellus_," James snarled as he followed Sirius's advice and sat back in his seat.

"It's Severus," Severus hissed in reply. Sirius ignored him and continued to look out into the corridor. He heard his brother greeting the Slytherin student and rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that the fourth year text book for Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Regulus asked.

"Yeah,_ Snivellus_ is the dark arts expert in our year," Sirius chimed in, unable to resist a dig at the other boy. "Isn't that right James?"

"Oh yeah," James agreed. "Proper little expert, at sneaking around and hexing people in the back."

Severus scowled and flushed at the, not entirely unfounded accusation. "At least I don't take on others only when it's four to one," he muttered, but Sirius and his friends ignored him in favour of the arrival of the trolley lady and Lily Evans who had apparently been searching for Severus in much the same manner they had been searching for Remus.

"Trust you to be in the last carriage," Lily said as she stored her belongings in the rack above the seats. "I was starting to think you'd missed the train."

"Looks like Remus _has_ missed it," Sirius said as he took his seat again.

"She wasn't talking to _you_," snapped Severus, shooting a glare at the other boy.

Sirius shrugged and opened his chocolate frog. There was no point in arguing all the way to Hogsmeade.

Despite several trips back and forth along the train by each of the Gryffindor boys Remus was never found and they finally concluded that he must have missed the train.

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At the Lupin farmhouse Remus knew when the moon rose and the silvery light came through the small window. It was the last thing he saw before the change overtook him; his last thought was that he hoped his mother would remember to send his owl to the school with his message for his friends that he'd missed the train and would be there in a couple of days.

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Sirius Black sat at the Gryffindor table and scowled at his brother who was talking animatedly with Severus. He wasn't surprised at Regulus being sorted into Slytherin, he'd have been more surprised if he hadn't been.

"I'm really worried about Remus," James said as he toyed with his food. "Even if he'd missed the train he should be here by now. Surely his dad could have apparated him to Hogwarts."

"You can't apparate into the school," Peter pointed out.

"Then to the gates, or Hogsmeade," James replied. "He should have been here waiting for us."

"I'm sure he'll turn up with a really good reason why he's late," Sirius said as he grabbed a chicken leg. "Like Lily said back on the train. These things happen. People miss trains all the time. He'll have a good reason when he gets here."

"Like all those really good reasons why he was called away last year?" James asked with a snort. "You realise he disappeared every single month, even in the middle of the exams."

"That _was_ odd," Sirius agreed. "No matter how ill his grandmother is I can't imagine that she'd want him pulled out of school in the middle of his exams. It's not like he could do anything."

"She doesn't live with the Lupins either," Peter pointed out. "Not even in the village. If the family's that close and she's sick, why wasn't she staying with them in the summer or during the Christmas holidays last year?"

"I guess we'll find out when he arrives," Sirius said with a shrug as looked up at the enchanted ceiling and looked at the clear night sky above.

Suddenly something in his mind clicked and he drew in a sharp breath of astonishment as the pieces of the puzzle that was Remus Lupin began to fall into place.

He looked towards Dumbledore as he made his start of term speech and wished he could escape to the dorms.

The start of term feast, which he had been looking forward to all day, suddenly seemed a colossal waste of time.

As soon as the school was dismissed he bolted from his seat and ran for the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. It was only when he reached the door that he realised he had no idea what the new password was.

Thankfully James and Peter weren't far behind him and they at least had had the presence of mind to speak with a prefect before heading upstairs.

Once through the portrait hole Sirius hurried up the stairs to the second year dormitory and began rummaging through his trunk. He pulled out his Astronomy textbook, sat on his bed and started to flick through the pages.

"What do you think Peter?" James asked. "Have you ever seen Sirius so eager to work?"

"Maybe he's been possessed?" Peter suggested with a smirk.

"I'm just looking something up," Sirius said as he searched through the thick volume that had clearly never so much as been cracked open before now.

"Hey what's that?" James asked as the sound of tapping came from outside the tower window.

"It's the Lupins' owl," Peter said as he let in the bird and took the letter from it. "It's from Remus," he said in relief when he recognised the handwriting.

"Bet he says he'll be here the day after tomorrow," Sirius commented without looking up from his book.

James took the letter and scanned through the contents. "You're right," he said in astonishment as he looked from the letter to his friend. "They missed the train and are waiting for the next one coming up from London."

"Why aren't they just apparating?" Peter asked.

"Because they didn't miss the train," Sirius said. "It's a lie, just like all the other excuses for Remus being called home every month last year."

James perched on the end of Sirius's bed and folded his arms to wait for Sirius to enlighten him and Peter as to what exactly was going on with their friend.

"Remus admitted he was keeping something from us when we stayed with him last Christmas. He said it was something big and that he'd get in trouble if he told me."

"Why didn't you tell us?" James asked quietly.

"I promised I'd stop you guys hassling him about it," Sirius said. "Though I couldn't resist pushing him myself. I thought he'd eventually trust me enough to tell me."

"You don't think that now?" Peter asked. Sirius shook his head.

"So what are you looking for?" James asked as Sirius put aside the Astronomy book and started searching through his trunk again.

"I'll tell you when I find it," Sirius said as he pulled out his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook and ran his finger down the contents list. "Remus had nightmares you know, he thought we'd drop him as a friend once we found out what he was keeping from us."

James nodded. They'd all heard Remus crying out in his sleep on one night or another, normally during a night soon after his return from whatever family emergency had called him away.

"It must be next year we do them," Sirius muttered. "Wait here whilst I go borrow one of the third year's text books."

Five minutes later Sirius returned with another book which he was already reading intently when he walked into the room.

"Got it!" Sirius exclaimed as he sat back down. "It all fits."

"What fits?" Peter asked, looking more than a little impatient.

"This," Sirius declared as he placed the textbook onto the bed with the page open to a chapter about werewolves.

"Werewolves?" Peter asked as James picked up the book and began to read.

"This is a lunar chart," Sirius explained as he passed Peter the Astronomy book. "Look at the dates of the full moons this year."

"The one in June was in the exam week," Peter said.

"And there's one tonight," Sirius crowed. "Remus disappears from the school every time there's a full moon and always comes back with lame excuses and looking scratched and beaten up."

"If this book's accurate, I'm not surprised," James said as he swapped books with Peter. "According to this a caged werewolf would harm itself to try to escape."

"The teachers would have to know about it to make all the arrangements and you know they'd have told him to keep quiet. If everyone found out he'd have to leave the school," Sirius shook his head at the thought.

"That's why there's a cage in the basement," Peter exclaimed in realisation.

"I'll bet that's just used in the holidays," Sirius speculated. "It'd be too dangerous for him to leave the school, actually leave the school, and keep going home at such a time. He could get delayed on the journey there."

"I bet they've got a similar cage in the school somewhere to keep him in," James commented.

"It explains Madam Pomfrey always hovering around him too," Peter pointed out.

"Poor Remus," Sirius said as he shook his head. "How are we going to tell him that we know?"

James and Peter looked at each other and then back at Sirius. They shrugged as they realised they had no idea what they were going to say to him.

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Remus arrived back at Hogwarts on the third day of term. It was late in the day and all the classes were just finishing.

He presented himself at Professor McGonagall's office and waited for her to arrive to give him all the notes that he'd missed.

Once he'd been checked in officially he made his way to the Gryffindor common room to greet his friends and find out what else he'd missed so far this year.

Lily greeted him as soon as he stepped through the portrait hole but Sirius, James and Peter were nowhere in sight.

He felt a pang of disappointment as he guessed that his friends were already up to some sort of mischief and he had once again missed out on the fun.

He smiled weakly as the other students greeted him and hurried up to the dormitory to unpack.

"Thought you'd never make it!" Sirius said the second Remus stepped through the doorway. "Good to have you back with us."

"We saved you some of the treats from the start of term feast," James said as Peter dug them out of the drawer and placed them on Remus's bed.

"We missed you on the train," Sirius said. "Had to sit with old_ Snivellus_ if you can believe that?"

"Sirius's brother got sorted into Slytherin," James said. "And the Quidditch team is short of a chaser this year. I'm trying out again."

"Did you get my owl?" Remus asked as he sat on the bed and picked out a sticky cake from the stash that his friends had saved for him.

"Arrived just after the feast," Sirius said.

"I can't believe you missed the train," James laughed. "I'd believe it of Sirius, lazy git, but not you."

"Just one of those things," Remus muttered.

"It was a nice full moon on the first day of term," Sirius commented casually as he settled onto the end of the bed. "Really looked good from the Great Hall."

"I'll see the next one no doubt," Remus lied.

"Will you?" James asked as he sat down on the opposite side of Sirius. Peter hopped onto the bed too and Remus realised that his friends had effectively penned him in.

"I don't think so," Sirius said with a shake of his head.

"Of course I will," Remus said. "I'm not blind."

"According to what we read you won't remember what you saw though," James said and Remus started to choke on his cake.

"Nice one James, real subtle," Sirius muttered as Peter thumped Remus on the back.

Remus pushed Peter's hand away from his back with a strangled cry like a wounded animal.

"Sorry Remus," Peter apologised hurriedly.

"It's okay," Remus assured him after he'd taken a swallow of pumpkin juice provided by James.

"Your back's all cut up isn't it?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded. "It was an accident…there was…it was…I mean…"

"You mean that you didn't know what you were doing because you were…" Sirius's voice trailed off.

"Incapacitated," filled in James.

"Yeah," Sirius continued. "You were incapacitated at the time."

"Totally unavoidable," James continued, nodding enthusiastically.

"And we don't blame you for not telling us," Sirius assured him.

"I take it you think you've figured out some big secret about me?" Remus asked quietly.

"It's okay Remus," Sirius said. "_We know_."

Remus looked from one of his friends to another for several minutes. Slowly he realised that his friends had indeed figured out the truth.

On the one hand it meant no more lying to them, on the other hand it meant he'd have to go and tell Professor McGonagall.

"There's something we do want to know though." Sirius sounded unusually serious and Remus looked at him cautiously.

He waited for a moment but it was James who spoke the question his friends apparently wanted answering. "You're not going to stop being our friend now we know about your furry little problem, are you?"

"Furry little problem?" Remus repeated with a snort of laughter. "Only James Potter could call being a werewolf a furry little problem."

At his words his three friends let out whoops of delight.

"He admits it!" Sirius crowed. "I knew he would eventually!"

"You said you knew," Remus accused. "You _did_ know, didn't you?"

"We figured it out," James admitted. "But this way you're the one that told us so we can't get into trouble."

"Git," Remus said as he threw a pillow at his friend.

"Ah, don't worry mate," Sirius said. "We'll not let you get in trouble alone. You're going to have to tell the teachers we know aren't you?"

"Professor McGonagall said I had to report it right away," Remus confirmed. "You've not told anyone else have you?"

"Course not," Sirius looked affronted. "What kind of friends would we be if we'd told the whole school?"

"Sorry," Remus muttered. "I'll go speak with her first thing in the morning. I doubt we'll be in trouble. She said if you hadn't figured it out by the end of the third year, she'd see you fail Defence Against the Dark Arts on principle."

"Good job we had this little chat now then," James said. "You don't think that she'd let us pass on principle this year as a reward for figuring it out so quickly?"

"I doubt it," Remus laughed.

"We'll come with you," Sirius promised.

"Thanks," Remus said and he felt his throat closing up and tears welling in his eyes as the worry of the last year evaporated with his friends' easy acceptance of his condition. He gave them all a watery smile.

"Well now that that's out of the way," James announced. "Onto more important stuff…like our first big prank of the year."

"You haven't done one yet?" Remus asked.

"Course not," said Sirius with a grin. "You're one of us, part of the team. We couldn't start without you."

Remus picked up another cake and took a bite as James and Sirius discussed the pros and cons of various pranks they'd got lined up for the year. He grinned at Peter and relaxed completely for the first time since he'd arrived at Hogwarts a year ago.

Despite all his fears and worries his friends had accepted him as he was and the joy of that knowledge was enough to banish even the pain of the worst of his werewolf inflicted injuries.

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A/N: Yes Sirius did eventually figure out what Mrs Lupin's boggart was when he figured out the rest. He was just tactful enough not to mention it to Remus or the others. One of the few occasions when he was tactful during the course of this story...but there you go.


End file.
